Fates Four: Kanto Arc
by LunarRainfall
Summary: With a past that he wishes to leave behind, a young boy named Red leaves everything he has, running away. Found by the league and sent to an orphanage, Red has to figure out just how he can escape his past. When he finds the option of becoming a Pokemon trainer, he wonders if this could be his chance to finally leave his past behind, but what if his past doesn't want to leave him?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A heavy sigh permeates the room as a man drags himself from his bed. He slowly shuffles his way over to the bathroom, staring at his reflection, gathering the strength to face another day. His phone pings with a message. He pauses, wondering who would text him at 5 in the morning, when he's supposed to be getting the sole meal he can provide for the children ready. He opens his phone, staring at the screen with another sigh hovering behind closed lips.

 _New kid coming in. They found him on the outskirts of the Indigo Plateau. He refuses to talk, won't give his name, or his parents name, not a single word as left his mouth since they found him._ _The local Pokémon seemed to have been protecting him, keeping them from getting to him for a couple of days. After some convincing, the Pokémon let us take the kid._ _We're sending him to you until we can find his family. He'll be dropped off at noon._

He lets the sigh escape his mouth. _Another one. We don't have the funds to take in another one. We can barely keep the boys here now alive. If only my petition for more funds could go through, at least then the boys could have more than one meal. And this kid, who refuses to talk, the other boys will quickly pounce on him._ With that thought, the man puts the phone in his pocket, turns around and exits his room, heading down to prepare the sole meal that gets served everyday.

* * *

 _Several hours later, in a car going east through the slums of Viridian City._

"-and just outside the city is the Viridian Forest, a- son are you even listening to me right now?"

A young boy of perhaps 6 turns away from the window, facing the man who spoke. The man was the complete opposite of the boy. The man was quite chubby, with pale skin, as if he admired an Abomasnow so much that he tried to be like one. This thought was further supported to the boy by the man's leafy green tie, set against a black suit, and an almost neon green undershirt. The man sports a receding, honey blond hairline, with a small, bushy mustache. His thin, peeling lips were pulled into a feeble attempt at a smile, and his dull blue eyes reminding the young child of a Mudkip.

The boy on the other hand, had olive skin, and a mop of Luxray black hair on his head. His eyes were similar in color, but in the right light, seemed to be filled with stars. The child has on no shoes, an oversized, plain brown t-shirt that hangs off his small frame, and pants that brush the ground with every step.

He turns his uncaring gaze to the chubby man, and simply shakes his head. The man, whom he had decided earlier was far too rude for his liking, began to grow red in the face. Before he could begin to yell at the child though, the car pulled to a stop, indicating that they had arrived. The man smiled triumphantly, shooing the boy out of the car as fast as he could. It was almost as if he thought getting rid of the boy was something to be proud of.

The boy however, only stared at the unforgiving walls of his new home, and the hungry looks of the boys hiding in the windows. He knew those looks, and he knew that he had become their new prey. The boy only turned his gaze up to them, and smiled, as if he couldn't see the predatory look on their faces.

The chubby man grabbed the boy's arm, tearing his gaze away from the other children, and dragged the boy through the doors. The boy surveying the corridors, liked nothing that he saw. His assessment of the place was stopped when a new man came into his view. This man was tall, and gaunt looking, with dark circles under his eyes. He worked very hard, and cared very much for the place that he worked at, any person would be able to see this at a glance. The child begins to avoid eye contact, not wanting to see the pity that so many gave him. The chubby man was saying something to the new one, but the child didn't care one bit. All the child wanted was to see his siblings again.

As the child was lost in thought, the chubby man bid the caretaker goodbye, wishing him luck with the stubborn boy. The man watched the chubby man round the corner and leave, and then turned back to the child. The child stubbornly refused to meet his eyes. The man took no offense, simply crouching down to the boys level, with a patient smile on his face. The orphanages lone pokemon, a small Shinx, came up to the boy. It looks to the boy with a wary look in its eyes, but after a moment of eye contact, the small cat allows itself to be pet by the child.

"Hello there. My name is Noah, Noah Park, but most of the others here call me Mr. Park. That little one there is Shinx. It's a pleasure to meet you." The man says with a broad smile. The boy however, says nothing, instead choosing to pull his hand away from Shinx. He risks a glance over to Noah, to see nothing but kindness in his tired eyes. Noah raises an eyebrow, before saying, "Now I heard that you haven't said a word to anyone yet, but I hope that you'll at least give me your name. Only your first if you would prefer."

The boy adamantly shakes his head, giving him a glare that nearly stops him from talking. The boy can see this frustration. He recognizes that Noah dislikes his uncooperativeness.

"Surely you want to go home, right?" Noah asks. At this the boy almost turns away, his muscles tensing. "So then, you'd rather live as an orphan, then with your parents?"

Noah pauses in his confusion, _most wished to return home, or to not have to be reminded of it, but this boy refused to give me any indication of how he feels,_ he thinks. Standing up, he runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. Noah jumps when he hears a soft voice say, "I have no parents."

It takes the him a second to realize that it was the boy who spoke. "You have no- then you never met them?" The boy shakes his head, but says nothing more. "Then you have no name?" Once more the boy shakes his head. Noah stops for a moment, wondering how the boy survived. He was 6, maybe 7, and looked as if he were well fed. The idea was absurd to him, but he considered the fact that wild Pokémon might have raised him. _Darren did say that the Pokémon in the area were protecting him from being taken. But he has no name! We can't just call him boy, or kid, or that child!_

The man looks down at the child once more, watching him play with Shinx. "Well, if you have no name, then you'll need to pick one."

He sees the boy's curious glance, knowing that the man is questioning his entire story, but for the sake of getting him to at least talk, is humoring him. The boy then turns back to Shinx, running his hand over her head. A few minutes go by, with Noah beginning to wonder if he'll have to pick a name for him, when the boy chimes out, "Red."

He glances over to the boy from the window he was looking out of. "You want to be referred to as Red then?" The boy nods. "Alright then Red, how about I show you to your room, and then you head outside to play with the other boys.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. Hi. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I'll be honest, I kinda started this on whim, you know, the whole, "Let's post the story I've had in my mind for years because I can't find anything like it anywhere!" kinda deal. However, I have, slight anxiety issues. Okay probably major ones, and for life of me, I could not post another chapter, let alone work up the courage to write. But, I can't get better, or get over my stupid fear if I don't write, so, here's chapter 2! I'm gonna put more down at the bottom, but for now, here's a super long chapter 2. Please leave a review if you like, and review telling what you didn't in the comments (nicely if you could, please, it would really help me out to, you know, keep my chin up and keep writing).**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Get it!"

"Don't let it get away!"

Almost 6 months had passed, and the boy called Red watched from the window as 4 boys tore away from the orphanage, chasing after a rattata. Red allowed the smallest of smiles to appear on his face as he thought of how the small rat Pokémon had been stealing bits of the children's lunch. Red had no problems with sharing his food with the local Pokémon, but the others did, and this thought brought a frown to his face. The others had never had the chance to even see the Pokémon before that moment, and he began to wonder if it would still be safe when they cornered it.

 _Perhaps I should help. Momma Kangaskhan did say that to do the right thing you have to help others in need. It was injured, limping as it tried to make its escape, is that "in need"._ Red continued to stare out the window for a moment more, still lost in thought. _Helping it is what she would have called "the right thing to do", but I'd really rather not deal with them any more than I must. But,_ He _wouldn't have wanted me to help._ He _wouldn't care,_ He _would just say that the weak deserve to die, that it's survival of the fittest. No, I won't be like_ Him _, I'll help it, I won't let it die, I won't be like that anymore. I'll be what Momma Kangaskhan said that she knew I could be, and this shall be my first step without her here to guide me._

Having made up his mind, Red slipped down the stairs, making an unnoticed exit out the back door. He quickly followed the sound of shouting, to a small, dark alley, barely big enough to have 2 boys stand shoulder to shoulder, and littered with trash. The 4 boys stood at the end of the alley, with the rattata trying to press itself further into the corner. Red narrowed his eyes, hating the way they were frightening the poor thing. It was scratched up badly, and moved with a limp. From where he stood, it also appeared that the young Pokémon had one eye shut.

"Teach it a lesson!" one of the boys shouted. He had light brown hair, and looked to be slightly older than Red.

"Yeah Nick! Make it pay!" another one shouted. This one joined the brown haired boy in the back, jeering the other two on. The blonde haired boy at the front gave a thumbs-up, before moving closer to the rattata.

"Stop it!" Red shouted, the sound echoing off the walls of the small alleyway, making him sound much louder than he had originally intended.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Crybaby. What are you going to do, go cry to old Mr. Park. Maybe if you cry enough you and the rat can be friends, it'd be the first _you'd_ of ever had," the 4th and final boy taunted. This boy appeared to be around perhaps 10, with black hair, pulled back in a low ponytail.

"Freak. You only talk when it benefits you. Why don't you go talk to old Park, maybe then you can get sent where you belong, to the trash," the brown haired one shouted.

"Why don't you go cry to someone who cares," the youngest one taunted.

"You- you shouldn't hurt a creature that can barely defend itself," Red whispered.

"Get outa here you Crybaby! Unless you plan on fighting us over this pest, leave!" shouted Nick.

Red flinched the moment Nick brought up the idea of fighting. He had come to hate that idea. Fighting was what brought him here, to the place that no-one liked him, brought him to the fear that everyone would hate him. Fighting is what tore his best friend from him.

Lost in his memories, the boy with brown hair slid up to him. Red had never really bothered to learn any of their names, he kept to himself mostly, dealing with them only when he had to. And as Red's mind drifted more and more, the boys sneered at him, laughing when the brown haired one punched him in the face.

Unprepared, Red was sent tumbling to the floor. As the boys laughed, Red restrained the urge to stand up and hit the boy back. He didn't want to hurt anyone, not anymore. _I won't give in. I won't do what_ He _always wanted me to. I swore that day that I would never fight unless I truly had to. I won't fight, not now. But… Yes, that'll work._

Red stayed upon the ground, pulling himself into a ball as two of the other kids moved closer. He continued to shout at them to leave the rattata alone, and all but Nick did. Nick continued to make his way towards the rattata, throwing whatever trash was next to him at it. The other three, instead chose to make attacking Red the next thing they would do.

"What a wimp!"

"Why don't you just go home Crybaby!"

"He can't Tim, no one wanted him!"

They three began to laugh as they continued to attack Red, but as suddenly as he had curled up, Red picked himself up, charging at them with a scream. Startled, the four children stumbled to the side of the alley, only for Red to charge right past them. He raced right up to the rattata, and ignoring the look it its eyes, picked it up, and bolted. After a moment's pause, the other four tore out of the alleyway, screaming at Red to stop running like a coward.

Unbeknownst to the children, another person had been watching their confrontation, about to have stepped in when Red had made his move. The figure moved after the small pack of screaming children, noting that the direction the boy ran in, was towards the Viridian Forest, the place that the figure was currently supposed to be in, looking into the rumors of a rampaging Nidoking.

* * *

"We're almost there rattata. Once we reach East Viridian Forest the cowards will- ow!" Red's words were cut off as the Pokémon began using its sharp teeth to bite at his arm. "Rattata stop that! I have no intentions of hurting you." The rattata froze, unsure of whether or not he spoke the truth. Red continued to run for the forest, deciding that whether or not rattata trusted him wasn't as important as getting them to safety. He could still hear their screaming, echoing off of the walls, and the shouts of startled people being crashed into on the streets. He could hear the boys shout at each other to find where he managed to get off to. He smiled as he heard them, a smile that was so dark and cold, that most wouldn't even dare to call it a heartless smirk. His smile quickly returned to his usual blank look though, only different from it in the determination and focus in his eyes.

Red continued to careen down his zigzag path, turning left through one alley, only to take a right, and then another left. The poor little rattata quickly got dizzy trying to keep track of where they went, and shut her eyes. Red kept running for what felt like ages to the injured rattata, before he finally spoke again.

"Hold on tight rattata. We're almost to the forest, just one quick jump, and we're in the East edge," He muttered quietly to her.

Rattata peeked through half-opened eyes, only to squeal and bury herself into his rough, brown shirt, as the boy charged at a wall. Red however, was unfazed, having used this wall as his route into the forest almost every day. With a graceful, fast paced stride, he charged the wall, with poor little rattata preparing to get smashed into the wall. She couldn't see his plan, there was nothing next to the wall, the buildings were close, but still paced a fair distance away from each other, so that wasn't his plan. All she could think was that he would try to jump the wall, and though he stood only a little under 4 feet tall, the wall was well over twice his height. But to her fear, that seemed to be his exact plan.

Red however had never had any qualms about leaping over this wall. It was, after all, the fastest way to the forest from the orphanage, being less than minutes away, why the actual exit to East Viridian Forest was an approximate 40 min walk away. Feet from the wall, Red launched himself up, pushing off his left leg, digging his right into the scuffed-up wall, propelling himself up to grab the edge of the wall in his left hand, with rattata being held in the crook of his right arm. However his moment didn't get him to the top of the wall, it got him high above. Having grasped the top of the wall, Red had yanked himself up in one fluid motion, resulting in him flying above the wall. And with the practiced fluidity of one who's done this for years, he kicked one foot out as he neared the top of the wall, and launched himself down to the gravel road that skirted the town, and led to the eastern half of the woods.

* * *

 _How far? How far is he going to carry me? That doesn't matter, I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I wonder though, why does he help me? Why, this boy with the eyes of a monster, and the expression of one who could never even give you the time of day? Why the one walked surrounded by an aura of anger, and hatred, so strong that even one who couldn't sense aura could see it. Why the one who commanded a room, who walked as if everything was his, the one who hid his face from everyone else, but was still undeniably, the one with all the power. And that's another thing! This boy, he holds so much power! And yet he ran from those boys. He very easily could have beat them, if that jump over the wall says anything about his muscles. Even without formal training, he could have caused some damage, so then, why did it seem as if they were the strongest?_

"Are you just going to muse over who I am and why I do what I do, or are you just going to continue to ignore the fact that we're in the woods now and you can leave." Red asked.

" _What a rude child, he sounds as if he doesn't even care where I go from here, even though I'm injured,"_ rattata said.

"I don't." He replied curtly.

" _Wha-"_

"I don't care about you," He cut her off. "I couldn't care less about what happens to you. And don't go acting like I'm some hero or something, cause I'm not. I did this because it's what she would have wanted me to do, not because I care about your life."

" _How- how- HOW RUDE! First you rush in like some prince, save the damsel in distress, and then you tell her to scram and go die out of your presence! Well I never asked for your help, boy, so even though you-"_

"Don't call me that," Red growled.

" _What?"_ rattata stopped her rant, curiosity settling over her features.

"Boy. Don't ever call me that," He reiterated, a deadly look entering his eyes.

" _Ookay… Don't call you boy or likely get my head- WAIT! You can understand me!?"_ rattata shouted.

"Yes. I can. And I never told you to go die. I simply said that I don't what happens to you," He stated simply.

" _Yes because that makes this a thousand times better,"_ she muttered bitterly.

"Truly? She always said I was too harsh when explaining things. Perhaps I have gotten better," Red turned away, beginning to lose himself in thought.

" _No you idiot! I was being sarcastic. And who is this 'She' you keep bringing up?"_

"Oh, it seems I haven't improved then. Anyways She is- wait. Why should I tell a stranger this?" Red questioned.

She sighed. " _Oh dear, you can't be anything more than a stranger if you don't tell them about yourself. How about this. You tell me about yourself, and I'll tell you about myself. Deal?"_

 _Hmm. I'm not too sure about this. However she and Momma Kangaskhan have both said the same thing. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt. However, I'm not to sure about_ _ **him**_ _. I don't think he even realizes that I know he's there. Perhaps an amatuer couldn't see him, but with his black cape, and red hair, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Especially with how noisy he is. I could hear every leaf stirred beneath his boots. Although that could just be because… Well even so,_ _ **I**_ _know that he's here. Perhaps I should… No. Momma Kangaskhan said that to read another's mind without permission was wrong, and I'm trying to be right… Or, good. I suppose I could say a bit, test how he reacts. Perhaps I should even drop a few hints? Oh yes, that'll do. If father sent him, then I can just erase his memories of me, too bad I can't do that to him. And if he is just a curious not quite passer-by, then no harm will have been done. I could even confront him on eavesdropping afterwards. Momma Kangaskhan did say that that was another bad thing, although it's one habit I don't plan on dropping._

"Alright rodent, you've got a deal."

" _Alright, how about before we go any further,_ _ **you**_ _don't call_ _ **me**_ _that."_

"Understood. And to answer your question, She, is my surrogate mother. She's actually a kangaskhan, but she took me in for about 6 months before I was taken to the orphanage. She was trying to help me be a better person," Red stated.

" _God knows you need it," she muttered. "Okay, so you old me about your 'mom', but I'd like to ask how that ties into how you came to this city."_

"Some people found me out in the woods by-"

" _Sit down."_

"I'm sorry?"

" _I said sit down, you're far to tall, and you're making my neck hurt just trying to hold a conversation with you," she stated._

"I believe the correct thing to do is apologize, and then comply, correct?" Red asked.

" _Well, most people would generally say sorry even though it's not something they realized, but yes."_

"Then I apologize for my transgression." Red said as he laid on his stomached upon the ground. He propped his head in his hands before asking, "Will this work better?"

" _Yes, thank you. Now, please, continue."_

"Yes well, as I said I was found by some people in the woods outside of the Indigo Plateau. It took them a few days to take me away, as I did not wish to leave, and so the Pokémon helped me stay. But after a couple days, Momma Kangaskhan convinced me to go, as I should learn from other people."

" _I see. That's sad," she answered._

"Not really."

" _Huh. But she was your mom, leaving those you love-"_

"I didn't. I didn't love her. I don't know how to feel love. My siblings and I came to believe that we our wish to stay together and protect each other was akin to love, but we never truly felt love. It is an emotion we weren't raised with."

" _Is that why you speak the way you do?" she asked after a few moments. "Is that why you talk in a way that people many times your age do? Why the whole way here you never broke a sweat, or gasped for breath?"_

" _Is that why you don't seem like a child?" she whispered, afraid to hurt his feelings._

"Yes. It is. My mother didn't get to visit to often, and she stopped visiting not to long after my sister was created. And my father, he didn't want weak children. Or anyone weak for that matter. So he didn't raise us with compassion, he only raised us to be better than anyone else… Umm. I don't really know why I told you all that."

" _It's okay. I can help. I can play with you, once I'm better. Then you can have more friends here, and you can still have a childhood," she smiled at him. "But if we're gonna be friends, then you should know that my name is Gelsey."_

"Flower, huh. Don't suppose one of your parents speak Persian?" He asked.

" _You- you understood it's meaning? Actually, I suppose with what you just said, it shouldn't come as that big of a shock. Anyways, my story on how I entered the city isn't nearly as dramatic as yours. I simply got to curious, got chased by a meowth and ended scared and lost."_

"I, suppose I could help you get home Gelsey. Although first I would need to bandage you up. And by the way, my name is Red." _But, all I have are my clothes, and their quite dirty. That could only cause her wounds to become infected. She doesn't need much though. It only looks like I small cut on her side and a twisted ankle. Sprained at the worst I would think. But maybe… Yeah, maybe the hiding man would have some stuff to help Gelsey. Momma Kangaskhan did say that there was no shame in asking for help, and anyone who said otherwise was a fool._

Standing up, Red turned to his right and shouted, "Hey mister, do you got any bandages so that I can patch up Gelsey?"

The man hidden in the trees did not do as Red expected however. Instead of being surprised, or startled, the man simply detached himself from the trees and walked towards him, removing a first aid kit from his bag as he went.

" _There was someone there!"_

The man however did something Red could predict, and ignored Gelsey, not able to understand her. Red felt slightly pleased. _I was right. I simply wasn't paying enough attention. He didn't know, he just doesn't show emotion, like me._

The man only continued to do the opposite of what Red thought he would, however, as he smiled while pulling gauze and a potion out of the kit. "I was wondering when you speak to me. I got the feeling that you knew I was there after you questioned why you would tell, Gelsey was it, anything at all about you."

The man walked past Red, crouching down by Gelsey, who had begun to shake. "Don't worry now little miss. This potion might sting a bit, but after the gauze gets applied after it you'll be feeling much better."

" _Red?" Gelsey called, her voice quivering._

"I won't let him hurt you. But he is right about the medicine." Red replied, haken by how the man had come to realize that he knew he was there. _How? How could he have realized it? I thought for sure I had followed all of Charles's suggestions? I didn't glance over to him, did I? No, I did, 2, maybe 3 times. Damn! I thought for sure-_

"If you're done mulling over how I knew, I'd be happy to tell you."

"Name," Red growled.

The man simply smiled, as if he was expecting this reaction. _Am I that predictable?_

"Lance. Lance Ryūsei. A pleasure to meet you, Red."

"Ryūsei. Imperial Dragon, eh. So then, you're from the Blackthorne Clan, and if my memory serves me correctly, which it always does, you also happen to be the Kanto, and Johto Region Champion." Red observed.

Gelsey looked back and forth between the two, wondering what exactly was happening.

"Heh, it seems this father you mentioned taught a lot more than the basic materials covered in class."

"Yes. He also had us taught how to put two and two together. You didn't come here because of me, you just happened to see the exchange with those 4 idiots and thought you should follow."

At this Red was able to allow himself a small smirk, for finally he reacted the way he thought he would. Lance's jaw dropped slightly, surprised coloring his features. Red hated when things didn't go his way, and at last, it seemed he had control of the situation again.

His smirk slipped for a second however, when Lance asked, "Well, since you seem to be so good at this, why am I here?"

Red's smirk had returned though, and as Gelsey slinked up to him, asking him to pick her up, as she was slightly frightened by the proceedings, Red answered.

"Simple. You're here for the exact reason that no-one else is. The new nidoking. And it isn't just because he went on a slight rampage in order to claim some territory and to win over a mate, which by now I'm sure you know that he did, you're also here because there has been no reported sightings of him, and you're afraid of the implications."

Lance's eyebrows raised, as if he wasn't expecting him to have known that much. "That information happens to be classified, although I don't think you care much about the rules."

"And what makes you say that?" Red questioned, slightly angered at this man who he simply couldn't figure out. _I know that his main Pokémon is his dragonite, and that though he's mainly a dragon type only trainer, he's known to train pseudo dragons, or any Pokémon in need. I know that he's almost 30, and that he's married. I know that he had a strong sense of justice, and I know all about the rumors that we had to learn about just to know that he could have ties to the G-men. I know that he's smart, and a man who always avoids any traps set to catch him. But the thing I just can't figure out, is how he keeps surprising me. How can this man, who I know all about, still throw me off guard? How can he seem to know me so well, when I'm almost positive that he hasn't fully put two and two together?_

"If you want to know how I figured that all out, you should simply ask. Otherwise, just go home, while I go deal with this nidoking." He said, turning around to leave.

"Wait! Would you- would you tell me, how you figured all that out," Red spilled out. Lance turned back slightly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Please."

"See now, that wasn't so hard," He laughed. He stopped though, seeing the cold glare Red was giving him from under his luxray bangs. "Or perhaps for you it was. Anyways. I figured this out because, one, you glanced over to where I hid multiple times, including the moment when you were considering whether or not to tell Miss Gelsey here more about you."

" _Wow. I never noticed. I thought you were only paying attention to me and your thoughts the whole time. Did he call me Miss? Red! C-can you tell him just to call me Gelsey! Miss makes get all nervous, as if I were a parent or something."_

Red glanced at her, perched upon his shoulder and nodded once. Turning his attention back to Lance, he said, "It seems I was not as subtle as I would have prefered. Now, would you please tell why you think I don't care about the rules? Also, Gelsey says not to call her miss."

" _Kindly!"_

"Kindly asks you not to call her miss."

Lanc chuckles, before smiling and saying, "Of course. Now then. As for why I think you disregard the rules. For one, you're out here in the forest, _when_ the Viridian Orphanage has a rule against that. And the city as well in fact. No children are to leave without a Pokémon. And secondly, also as to do with the fact that you're out here. No-one is supposed to be out here with the rampaging nidoking about. And the fact that that information was classified."

"Hmm. Yes that does make sense. You simply followed the obvious trail of clues that most people would fail to see. Yes, I suppose you aren't considered a smart, and powerful threat for no reason." Red mused.

This caused Lance to nearly trip as he turned back to go and find the nidoking. "Wha-threat? What are you-"

"To people like Team Rocket. You know, criminals. Criminals all consider you a threat, although I suppose I could have worded that the other way and say guardian as opposed to threat?"

"You… Are an odd child." Lance said after a moment.

"Yes I get told that a lot. Also, if you are going to continue your search for the nidoking, don't bother," Red stated flatly.

"Ah, and why not, may I ask?" Lance questioned.

"Because the sun is setting," Red replied, pointing at the sky. "At this time he heads to his favorite berry patch to wait."

"Wait? For whom is he waiting for?"

"Me. I visit him every day at this hour there," Red replied with a shrug, walking the opposite direction Lance was headed, and headed off towards the Northwest part of the forest.

"That is incredibly dangerous! You could have be seriously injured!" Lance burst out. Red raised an eyebrow, but kept walking. _Does everyone concern themselves over the wellbeing of others like this?_

" _I agree with him Red! That's an incredibly dangerous thing to do! Why would you have even encountered such a beast in the first place!"_ Gelsey shouted in his ear.

 _I thought flowers were supposed to be dainty and sweet?_ "Enki is no beast. He is my friend. I met him by chance one night when I was wandering the woods. He was trying to get berries, but he couldn't reach, and the mankey kept teasing him, so I stepped in and chased them off, before climbing up the tree and bringing Enki some berries to eat. We do this every night now. Before you came along Gelsey, Enki was my only friend."

"How lonely. However that doesn't excuse the fact that you could have been in hurt," Lance growled at him.

"I wasn't. But if you want to find Enki, you can follow me. Just don't go trying to fight him. Enki doesn't like fighting, he only did it to get a home and a mate. You can talk to him, I'll translate of course, and then, after you realise what a softy Enki is, you can leave. Go back home or wherever it is you have to go to next."

"I shouldn't allow a child to go there with me. I should be taking you back to your house first," Lance stated.

"But you won't. Also, don't call the orphanage my home, because it isn't. I don't have a home."

"Alright. I will go with you."

The two walked together in the direction of the berry patch, with Lance musing over what an odd, child he had stumbled across. One that was quite rude and mean, but was trying to be better.

On the other side, though, Red was pondering over how books really didn't do the man justice. None of his lessons could have ever prepared him for the outside world without his cleverly disguised lenses to look through. Although he never would have believed someone, if they told him that his shackleless freedom, would come at the price of his family, and be backed with fear. So much fear. He pondered on the fact though, that with Enki, he didn't feel afraid. And neither did he around Mr. Park, or Gelsey, or even Lance. He wondered what could have caused such a change in himself.

Lance pulled them out of their musings though, with a simple question. "I have to ask, did you name him, or did he name himself 'lord of the earth'?"

And surprising himself most of all, let out a small laugh, before he replied.

* * *

The door drifted shut, as an exhausted Lance flopped onto his bed. A lithe figure slipped into his arms, muttering a quiet question about how his day going after the nidoking went.

Lance simply smiled, and said, "I met someone interesting. Someone that I think you would like to meet," before he drifted to sleep.

* * *

 **So, uh, there's chapter 2. I wanna put here that this is my first fic, and that I'm so thankful for any tips that I get. St Elmo's Fire, thanks for being my first review and trying to help me out, I hope that my first 2 chapters didn't bore anyone too much, but this story is something that I've had in my head ever since Pokémon Black version came out and just grew, and I really need to set up the basis for it first. Hope that people will be willing to suffer through any boringness in the start and a bit of bad grammar, I plan to get to the actual journey soon, maybe 2 or 3 more chapters before hand. Also, this will kinda be a mix of games, manga and anime. Red will mostly follow the anime, but I'm going to throw in some manga characters, some characters might also be similar to their manga counterparts, and every now and then I might throw in a game event. Like with Hoenn. I do plan on going all the way to Kalos, no matter how many bad reviews I might get, ause, after all, I can only get better with practice, right? But, with Hoenn, I just feel that there should have been more Magma/Aqua encounters, and even that the game didn't do it justice. Same with Unova and Sinnoh. Anyway, at this point I'm kinda rambling, so, stay tuned for chapter 3. Although it won't be till around next Saturday, as I'm gonna be gone at a camp with no internet connection . But I'll try to get chapter 3 out as soon as I get back, heck, maybe even Monday if I can leave myself enough time to write. Anyway, thanks for reading, (especially if you read my a.n.'s, I'll get better at these, I swear) and don't forget to review! Bye :p**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, this took me** _ **waaay**_ **too long to write. So, as put at the end of the last chapter, I was gone for a week with** _ **no internet connection**_ **. I couldn't even have my phone. Camp rules. A bit annoying when you want to be able to update a fic. But of course, my brain chose to work on the next chapter at camp. Chapter 4, not 3. And of course once I got home, the amazing (not really) thing that is writer's block set in. I swear I changed the way this chapter went at least 10 times. But I finally decided that I had to put something out, even if it didn't turn out quite the way it was originally planned to. But it gets the plot moving and tied together better, gives Red a bit more of a child-like side, and gets me on to the good stuff. The chapter that got to get a week of planning.**

 **IMPORTANT! PLEASE AT LEAST READ THIS PART!-**

 **I'm gonna put here real quick though that I just realized while writing this chapter that I need to put that this** _ **is**_ **a dark story. And while I may not go into detail, there will be some touchy subjects, like child abuse. There will also be death. Probably a lot of it. That's what reminded me to add that bit.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

It had been almost 3 weeks since Red had meet Gelsey and Lance. It was also the last time he had seen Lance. Gelsey, Enki and him got along great though, and after some coaxing from the both of them, he told them all about himself. About how his father would fly into a rage if him or his siblings didn't do something right, and how his teachers hated and despised them. He told them how for the longest time the only ones who showed them respect and treated even a scrape were each other. He told them about how his eldest sibling, whom by now was almost 8, was almost 2 years older than him, and all about how he was the only one to defend them. How he had a twin who was always at his side, and how he couldn't believe they were apart, because they had almost never been. He told them about his little sister, whom the three had adored and sworn to keep safe.

" _So, it was only you and your siblings who truly cared about each other then?"_ Enki asked suddenly, pulling Red from his musings. The three were currently at their favorite berry patch, with Red having been lost in thought, while the other two ate berries and the remnants of Red's meal.

"Hmm. Oh, no. We didn't care about each other at all. We simply weren't raised to. To our father, that meant we were depending on each other, and that meant we were weak. And he-"

" _Hated weakness, yes. You've told us that before. In fact that's almost all you ever say about him."_ Gelsey interrupted. While she adored Red to no end, she was frustrated by how little he told them about himself.

"Well… To be honest, we didn't get to see him all that often. And when we did, he was either mad, or in 'business mode'," Red said while glancing up at the sky. "The moon is rising. I have to go back now, or else Mr. Park will be mad again."

" _From the way you described it Red, he doesn't get mad, just worried,"_ Gelsey chimed, leaping into his arms to give him a hug.

" _I agree. He just worries. You are very different from regular children. After all, I doubt Sir Lance wouldn't allow very many to accompany him anywhere, let alone a child,"_ Enki grumbled.

"I know that, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. Although Mr. Park's expression when he saw Lance accompanying me at the door was priceless. Of course, I didn't _need_ him to follow me there, but it was definitely worth it. Anyways, I'll see you all later," with that Red stood up from the ground, placing Gelsey on the ground, and left without a backwards glance.

" _He's better at talking to us now, but even so, he can barely mutter more than a few words around any other pokémon. And I doubt that any humans have heard more than a word out of him."_

" _I agree. More than that, it was only today that he finally spoke about his past, and even then, it sounded like he was explaining a day, and not several years!"_ Gelsey chittered angrily.

" _Hopefully time is all that is needed to help him, because I doubt that he will accept help,"_ Enki said, a sad, far off look in his eyes.

" _I hope,"_ was all she replied.

* * *

 _So they too, do nothing but worry over me. I have given them no reason to, haven't I? Sure, I have no parents, but I have no need of them, I am just fine on my own. And the same goes for friends. I have no need of ones who will only hurt me in the end. Gelsey and Enki are different from the rest around here. Same Lance. They are true and kind people and Pokémon. Others around here, not so much. Viridian is a dark place, and the Slums even more so. Faithful people and Pokémon just don't exist around here. And haven't I proved myself capable? I could rule the forest if I wanted to… though I can't understand why someone would want to. Surely I've made it obvious to at least Gelsey, Enki, and Lance with everything that happened in meeting them. Most adults can't do what I do! I'm stronger than most adults even now! And if my missing half was here, well no-one would stand a chance against me. Except of course, my siblings, the ones who are just like me. Ah, hell it doesn't matter right now, I have to get back to that dirt collection they call an orphanage. Seriously, they say that they care so much about the orphans, and yet how many help them, about one percent of that darned town!_

Red continued his walk back to the orphanage, lost to his thoughts on the turn his life had taken. He used the same path into the city that he did out,so that he didn't have to deal with any pesky officers. His route however, was much faster than the ones frequented by the rest of the population. Red had a keen eye, and as most would say, a prodigies mind. Red however, would silently laugh at the idea, enjoying the little ironies that only he knew about.

"Red! There you are! You're late again you know." Red turned his gaze away from the empty sky, to a silhouette in the doorway. Red knew this conversation by heart, although that meant little, as he could have told you every last detail about it after the first time they had it. Or more accurately, Mr. Park spoke, and Red simply walked past. It was always the same though. would berate him, Red would ignore him, Mr. Park would berate him for ignoring him, Red would say sorry, never meaning it, and then he would keep walking, up to his room, shared with some of the other 7 and 8 year olds. Red had decided that he wouldn't point out Mr. Parks mistake, as he found his actual age group, the 5 and 6 year olds, to be the most annoying.

"Red. You really need to stop wandering off on your own. If this happens again, I'm going to have to keep you confined to the halls of the orphanage. If these last few days are anything to go by, you can't even stick with another one of the children. Now Red, I know you want to have fun, but you could get seriously hurt out there. You are only a child." He paused to take a breath, having rushed to get that out before Red could walk away. He opened his mouth again, only to find Red turning, and walking back out the door.

"You know, children should be in bed by this hour." Red paused, glancing back over his shoulder. He was curious, he had known that there was another person down the hall, but he hadn't really expected said person to interfere.

He didn't give her a second thought though, and continued walking. He did as he always did, and said nothing. But the woman didn't react the way he expected, once more throwing Red for a loop. Mr. Park grew red in the face, frustrated with his young charge, while the woman stepped forward, a small chuckle escaping past lips just barely withholding a smile.

 _Another. Another just like him. Who doesn't do what everyone else would do. What is this, no one said people could act like this! The people father hired were all the same. Each one as predictable as the la- That's it! I've been-_

"Well, you certainly don't carry yourself like any child I've seen, and from what I've been told you act almost like an adult. And though you apparently speak so little, you speak like an adult as well. But however much you try to _act_ like an adult, you _are_ still a child, and to actually become an adult you-"

"Still need to get rest?" Red turned back to her, venom dripping from every word. Red took in her appearance. Long, bright copper hair, pulled back in a low ponytail that fell to around the middle of her back, and black-rimmed, wing like glasses, faced him, with sharp, observing ruby eyes and a sour expression. She wore a simple black tank top with a high collar that reached up to just below her chin, which had been paired with a dark lavender skirt, and a simple pair of black heels. The last accessory, her braclet, caught his eye. It was simple golden bangle, thick, but not huge, but what drew his eye was the multi-colored stone that sat in it.

"Red! As much as I love to hear you speak more than a few words to me, and actually _say_ something to a stranger, it is not appropriate to speak to someone like that! You should know this!" Mr. Park said, his voice beginning to raise.

Red simply shifted his attention to give Mr. Park a blank look, and to the world, he truly didn't seem to care. _Idiots. Are they really that gullible? A simply, blank look after that speech, and he's ready to explode again. Does he really believe that I don't hear every word he says? But… I did finally find his breaking point, though that might just be due to the one in front of me. Lorelei Ryūsei, Lance's wife, and the ice type Kanto Elite Four member. They are certainly similar, though what reason could she have for being here? There aren't very many reasons for her to be. Lance handled the problem with Enki, and he's allowed to stay, and there isn't any pokémon stronger than Enki in the forest. Perhaps along the route that leads towards Pallet Town, or maybe along the route that leads to the Indigo Plateau? A walk would help me think, at least then Mr. Park wouldn't be yelling at me._

"I do hope you aren't still thinking about walking out. It's past 10 o'clock, you should be headed to sleep. Noah, I'll return tomorrow," Lorelei said.

With that, she began walking forward, brushing right past Red. She stopped beside him, and said, "I hope we get the chance to talk further, young man."

 _Hmph, I'd rather not. Lance made quite the good impression on me when we first met, the only person so far to have, and you… You didn't even know that I grabbed the bracelet that you were wearing. After all, you don't know what an orphan would do with it. And even if by some miracle Lance told her all about me, she doesn't know me, and not very many would be able to fully trust another just off of that. Especially someone as high up as her. Someone like her would want to learn all about the person themselves._

"Red. You are to head up to bed now. You are to stay here tomorrow, and remain by my side. For one, because that is your punishment for always running off and disregarding the rules, and two because Mrs. Lorelei was hoping to meet with you," Mr. Park said, pulling Red from his thoughts.

 _So I made some sort of an impression after all. It was most likely a good one, but none of the reasons that I can come up with would make sense for her to be here._

"After Mrs. Lorelei's visit we'll discuss your roaming habits. But for now, you are to go straight to bed. No arguments."

 _Since when do I ev_ er. Red thought with a sneer, heading through the doorway and up to his room. _I can't wait to see how this turns out, though perhaps she'll figure out during the night that I took it._

* * *

 _So, she got her hands on one of theses. This must be recent. Ha. That will throw father and his plans for a loop. The four of us gone, his enemies getting something that, when I left, he didn't have the contacts to get his hands on… Maybe I won't have to do anything. Maybe all four of us can just lay low. Although I'd really rather not go talk to her, or anyone right now. Though, I shouldn't lie. I want to talk to brothers and sister. And… I want to speak with Charles. He truly cared, though I wish I understood what caring was back then though._

" _Red. You really should be headed down to Noah's office. You know that Mrs. Lorelei is expected to arrive at 6:15."_

"And tell me Shinx, why I should head down before Park himself is at his office?" Red questioned with a sneer. He liked speaking with Shinx, sometimes. More often though, she was a nuisance, pestering him with comments and information that he already knew. If he wasn't such a tauros-headed child that was as revolted by losing as he was by stupidity, he probably would have scared the poor thing so bad that it left the orphanage and never came back. Or course, there were a lot of worse things that Red would have had no qualms against doing only a year ago.

" _Red, you know very well that he will be there in a few minutes, and you're meant to stick by his side today. Now stop glaring at everything and get down there."_ She finished off her speech with a huff, stalking off down the corridor to comfort one the younger children.

Shinx was, in a way, there to help the little kids, comforting them, and helping all of them when they had nightmares. But for Red, she was a pestering kitten, trying to pry too deep into a past she had no right to ask about.

" _Now, Red."_ She called from down the hallway.

 _Fine. I'm going, just not to Park's office. If the fool thinks he can just give me orders, then he can bid me farewell. I won't stay if I can't do as I please._ Red slipped to the edge of his bed, leaning off and removing a floorboard. He wasn't afraid to hide anything there,most people wouldn't even know anything was out of place. He grabbed the bracelet, replaced the floorboard, and exited the room. Red's thoughts continued along their earlier course as he slipped through the halls like a wraith. He wasn't purposefully hiding his steps, in fact he would have loved to see Park's face as he simply left, no food, no shoes, just the clothes on his back, and a fire inside him. But, Red didn't know anything but how to move lightly, and the sound of his own footsteps left him flinching, as if he was expecting a blow that would never come.

 _I still have her bracelet. I shouldn't take it with me. I've barely kept off of getting my face plastered in every city. An orphan with no family but Pokémon that ran back to them or someplace else, that they'll believe, and maybe even leave alone. But there's no way they wouldn't try and track down someone who stole from the Elite Four. I believe the best place to leave it would be in Park's office. She'll assume she left it there. Sure there will be questions, but she shouldn't look to deep for answers. It's… 6:05, I have a minute to get in and out before Park gets back from the kitchens. Simple._

Red slipped down the many stairs, and through the quiet halls. This was one of the best times of day, though he still prefered the time right after twilight. In those short moments, everything was quiet, and the only one there, was himself. Alone was what he was, and he never really considered the thought of another's presence beside him. The very thought of his aloneness brought him to a very sudden halt however.

 _Alone. How come it took me this long to remember how I'm not supposed to be? Why have I forgotten about my other half, my partner in crime? Perhaps… Perhaps it's so that I hadn't dwelled on it, although now,_ _ **she**_ _would know about what happened to him. And of course, then I could get him back. I feel so weak, and to not hear his voice… We both move at less than a quarter of what we once were, and while that's more than enough for just about everything, missing a part of yourself is never good. I wonder if there's anyway she would tell me about him? I'd have to be very careful with my questions._

"Lorelei, he doesn't like speaking to anyone, he's said nothing about how he ended up in the forest, and he's rude to everyone. I simply don't understand." The voice that cut into his thoughts belonged to Park. And of course, the one he was speaking to was a certain Ice type master. _So they're ahead of schedule. How annoying. Although I doubt they'd have discussed this with me there. Perhaps I'll learn something worthwhile._

"Noah, I'm sure you remember when my husband was handling the nidoking problem here only a few weeks ago." He could almost see Noah nodding his head profusely. The man was kind, and did his best for his charges, but he was a bootlicker. Red hated that, hated how Park fell over himself to please anyone of a higher rank or status. Of course, he did it in hopes of bettering his charges lifestyles, but had seen too many people sucking up to their higher ups to praise him for it.

Red let his thoughts flicker over who they might be speaking of before Lorelei's soft voice returned, hushed, as if she didn't want anyone to hear the words she spoke. "Lance believes that he could be something great, and quite frankly, while I trust my husband's judgement, I have to know for myself. Though he started off on the wrong foot by grabbing my bracelet."

"He took your-"

"I won't press any charges, I doubt he realized what it was. As long as he returns it, I'm fine."

"When did you realize that he took it?" Oh was he going to get yelled at when he walked through those doors. Park may have let the boys get away with stealing each others meals, but that was only because he was too cowardly to follow through on his threats of punishment. Red's face twisted into one of disgust. He had come to despise the foolish, cowardly man who ran this place. He didn't hate him, but he certainly wouldn't be the one to initiate a conversation with him.

"I realized it right before I fell asleep. I don't plan on telling Lance, he seems to believe that the boy can do no wrong. Though that is evidently not true."

"Quite. The boy does nothing but break the rules. That isn't to say that he is a bad child! He is a good child, just, that he has a lot of problems!"

The man never did last very long without panicking over something. Of course, the news of how Lance saw him was news to him. He had expected him to be impressed, to be interested in how he had come to act the way he did, but he didn't expect to be seen in such a good light. _So Lance sees me as some sort of angel child. Can't say I see what actions could have caused that, though he may think that I'm willing to break a few rules for the good of others. Though that means he either didn't hear, or just blatantly ignored when I told Gelsey I didn't care what happened to her._

"But getting back on track, I would like to have a proper conversation with him later this afternoon."

"May I ask why?"

"Yes. Lance has taken a liking to him, and as a result of the attack on the League 8 years ago, I can't have children. We've been looking to adopt, and… Well Lance seems to like this child a lot."

"Well you probably know all about the process then, but still, of all the children you two could pick."

"I'm with you there, but we haven't reached a decision yet. That's why I'm here. If I end up agreeing with him, we'll start going through the necessary steps to adopt him."

 _She has to be kidding! I met the man once! How could I have left that big of an impression! Doesn't matter. I don't need anyone. I don't need_ _ **her,**_ _or_ _ **him**_ _either. I'm fine all alone. And even though my other half is out there, I can find him just fine alone. Just cause the G-Men took him doesn't even mean that they'll have any information! It's only rumors that say they have any ties to the G-Men! I won't say anything, I'll just leave the bracelet on the doorknob and leave. I've been sticking around to long anyway, this place has nothing for me._

Red hung the bracelet on the doorknob, and ran. He made no sound as he rushed out of the waking city. He wanted to get out. To get away. There was simply too much new information, too many new emotions, and he wanted nothing to do with any of them. He didn't like the little voice in his head telling him to turn around. To go back, to start fresh. He didn't like the thought that said that he could have a family. He certainly didn't like the idea that he could have people who cared about him. No he didn't like any of those ideas, and that was why he ran without paying attention to where he went. For the first time in years, he ran without knowing where he was going, and he ran without paying attention to who was around him.

As such, he didn't realize when he had run in front of the Pokémon Center, and he didn't notice the man in front of it either. Not until he ran headlong into him.

"You little runt! Watch where you're going!"

Red's head rose, a glare in his eyes, that turned into a look of fear at the sight of the tall man in front of him.

"Go on you brat. Apologize and leave. I have more important things to deal with."

"S-sorry," Red stuttered, racing backwards and aiming to get into the alleyway three buildings down, and as far away from the man in front of him as possible. Even without his picture perfect memory, Red would know that man anywhere. The cyan hair that framed his face like a pair of mandibles, the seafoam eyes that screamed hatred at the world and anyone who they rested upon. He knew that cruel, heartless smile. He knew the meaning behind the giant red R on his black shirt. He also knew that the white gloves with red stripes, and matching boots, the yellow trim on his shirt, the white belt with dusk, and luxury balls clipped on, meant that the man wasn't just a grunt anymore.

 _What are_ _ **they**_ _here for? What reason could_ _ **Team Rocket**_ _have for being here? And more importantly, should I try to interfere? If I did anything, I could be killed, or worse. But, if I don't do anything, I think that emotion called guilt will follow me. How do I help, without destroying any chance I have at living? The League. The League building is just a couple of blocks from here. I could tell them, then anything that happens is their problem, not mine. No guilt. And they have a chance. I just can't help but wonder why they are here. Maybe… Maybe I should try and find out first. No! No that's stupid, I could be caught. But, I can easily escape, so, maybe I should._

* * *

"Mrs. Lorelei, you're late."

"I apologize, now then, is Miss Appelbaum here for her final exam yet?"

"I'm right here ma'am, and please, just call me Erika. I'm ready to begin whenever."

Lorelei began to reply, when a loud crash resounded from the front room.

"I'll go see what that was, in the meantime, please finish preparations for the battle, and make sure that all the Pokémon are fit to battle," Lorelei said as she turned to exit the room. Shouting was reaching her ears now, and she was quite afraid to find out what might be able to cause such a commotion

"Security, escort him out now." The one who spoke was the Viridian branch's secretary. He was always sending people back out the door for not having an appointment.

"Please. It's important," the voice replied as Lorelei entered the main room. Her eyes swept the room, taking in the flustered secretary, the annoyed patrons, and the security guard grabbing hold of a young child's arms, and lifting him into the air. The young child who had stolen, and, in a way, returned her mega bracelet. The young child who had left the orphanage without anyone knowing. The child that she was hoping to have met with in the afternoon. The boy named Red. But as startled as she was to see him here, she was more surprised to hear him speak.

"Miss Lorelei. I'm so sorry if we bothered you, we have the _problem_ ," at the word problem the secretary sent Red a withering glare, "under control. Please return to Lady Erika's test."

She was frozen in the doorway. Normally she would have tried to calm the patron throwing the fit, and then leave. But the child, no, Red, he was giving her a pleading look. One that begged to be heard. To not be ignored. And she was overcome by the sudden feeling that that was all he really ever got. That he was ignored, time and again, and based on the look in his little eyes, he was desperate to be heard. And from what she knew, desperation and talking to strangers were two things that he had never done.

"Please," Red begged. His voice wavered, as if tears were about to spill, and his eyes screamed with unspoken fear. She broke. She couldn't ignore this boy. She had tried to be mad at him, to stay mad at him, but just like Lance, she was becoming wrapped around this boy's fingers.

"Let him speak." The guard looked surprised, but stopped moving towards the door. At the look Lorelei gave him, the man dropped Red to the ground.

Red shot a glare to the man for dropping him like that, but focused on what was important. His gaze turned upwards towards Lorelei, and his pleading eyes seemed to gain an even greater intensity.

"Team Rocket is in the city. I overheard them talking about attacking the League building." His words were rushed, as if he feared that once he started someone would stop him. His eyes flickered everywhere, trying to find a face that didn't show disbelief, shock, or even laughter. His eyes, they matched his voice so perfectly in that moment. Small and filled with fear. Lorelei just couldn't stand the pain that seemed to be filling him. But of course, it made sense. He had just revealed that he had eavesdropped on Team Rocket. If you ignore the past 8 years and only looked before that, they're experimentation on children was enough to show how little they cared for any life that wasn't their own. It didn't, however, explain why they would attack the League building. Especially not when there was a member of the Elite Four there as well as a possible Gym leader. Unless that was part of their plan.

"Remove this brat now!" The secretary called, the shock finally wearing off. His face was one that had portrayed laughter and scorn for the child who had spoken. "We don't need _children_ cluttering up our building with half-baked lies." He all but spat these words out, as if talking towards Red was enough to make him vomit.

"Stop. Let the boy be. Red, come here, you'll stick with me for now." She wasn't sure what compelled her to call him to her, but she could see the honesty etched across his entire body. She supposed that she simply felt like she had to protect him, and even if what he said wasn't true, she felt she needed to keep him close, and assure him things were fine.

And though surprise was abound in everyone, the one who was most surprised was Red. He had barely expected to be listened to, let alone to have Lorelei take his side. He had even expected to be kicked out afterwards, no-one believing him, but at least he'd of told them. But now, he was expected to stay, and he didn't know what to do. He hadn't planned to stay, but, how could he refuse her offer. He would be even more rude if he did so, and he had been working so hard on not being rude.

 _Admittedly I have done pretty bad on being nicer. But, here's a second chance to be kind. Should I take it?_

With everyone's attention on him, his mind was quickly made up. He lept forward before the guard could decided that he shouldn't be in here anymore and dashed forward around the tables, skirting between the other people in there to reach the other side of the room. His had barely slowed down before her outstretched hand had slipped into his, and he was being pulled along in the direction of the battlefields.

 _This probably isn't the best time to mention my hatred of Pokémon battles._ He thought with a quiet laugh as they made their way down the hall. _I hope that she'll be willing to put her faith in me in this._

* * *

"Miss Lorelei, I assume that you being back means that everything is- And _who_ is _this_?" Asked the woman in a dark pantsuit. Her voice seemed to portray dislike, and Red could only assume that she thought he would be a disruption. The other woman however, held a patient smile on her face, as if apologetic for the way the other woman was acting.

"Jeane, this is Red. He's from the Viridian Orphanage, and will be watching Erika's final exam. Red, the woman in the white and purple kimono is Erika. She's going to be taking her final test in becoming a League sanctioned Gym leader. And the one reffing the battle is Jeane, here," She explained with a smile on her face. Red was frustrated, to say the least, when he found himself beginning to smile back. He didn't want to smile at her. He didn't _like_ the fact that they were becoming closer. He _especially_ didn't like that she could _choose_ to bring him into a family that might actually _love_ him. No, how could he _possibly_ be happy with that? He was meant to be alone, wasn't he? Isn't that why he was in the orphanage, with no family, no friends?

"It's nice to meet you Red. I hope you enjoy watching this battle." Erika's face was filled with nothing but joy. _How come she's so happy to see me? She doesn't know me? People are confusing, but… I'll return her smile. Just like Lorelei's, seeing it makes me happy, and want to smile back._

"Ahem. If you're quite done, the boy can go sit on the sidelines. The two of you are to take up position on either side of the field." Jeane left no room for discussion, and with her words, Red's smile faded, tugging down into a frown. He began to slip his hand from Lorelei's, his head facing the ground.

His action didn't go unnoticed by Lorelei however, and seeing how he reacted when he wasn't technically even being yelled at brought a frown to her face. She had decided after she had first seen him smile moments ago that she would gladly accept the challenge of making him smile like that at other people.

"You'll stick by me, if that's okay with you Red," She said with a bright smile. The tentative smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth were enough to tell her that this was the best choice. She gently lead him along behind her to her side of the field, where she positioned him slightly behind her. "Whenever you're ready Erika."

"Then we're good to go!" She called back, enthusiasm and nervousness flooding her voice.

"Alright, then. This will be Erika Appelbaum's final exam against Ice type Elite 4 member Lorelei Ryūsei. The test will be completed when either side is unable to continue. The challenger will have access to all 6 of their Pokémon, while the administrator will only have access to 2. There will be no substitutions. Battle… BEGIN!"

"Dewgong, show them your strength!"

"Victreebel! Fill the stage with your presence!"

" _You're going down!"_ Roared out Dewgong as he appeared in a flash of red.

" _I'll win this for sure!"_ Screeched Victreebel.

 _Are they… excited to fight each other? But why? They have to hurt each other, and get hurt in the process._

"The challenge gets the first move!"

"Victreebel, start out strong with leaf blade!"

" _Try and stop this!"_

The vine that arced off of Victreebel began to glow green, and whipped around in an effort to strike Dewgong across the face. But the blade only hit the ground, and kicked up a layer of dust.

 _He dodged it all on his own! But I thought you had to command them? I guess, maybe there's a lot more to Pokémon battles than I originally thought. Though they're still being forced to battle, so what does it matter._

"Ergh, Victreebel, use sleep powder! Then use razor leaf to send it at Dewgong."

" _Nap time!"_

Out of Victreebel's maw came a sickly sweet smelling, ocean blue powder. With quick swipes of it's vine, the powder was caught onto sharp, fast-flying leaves, and sent across the field towards their opponent.

 _That's so cool! I didn't know you could do stuff like that in a battle! I guess that's cause I was always told it was about winning, and given strategy after pre-planned strategy. But, this is something really interesting. And Victreebel even seems really happy!_

"Dewgong stop it with ice beam!"

With a loud roar, a beam of blue shot away from Dewgong, bathing the flying leaves in ice, sending them falling, and shattering on the ground. If it weren't for the smiles on the Pokémon's faces, he would've kept up with the thought that this was cruel. But the two seemed to be enjoying themselves so much, he wasn't quite sure what to think anymore.

"Dewgong, use ice beam once more and knock out Victreebel."

"Victreebel, get out of there!"

Victreebel managed to avoid the worst of it, but still got clipped in the side in her effort to dodge. Though she had only been hit by one attack, Victreebel looked ready to collapse.

 _She's hurt! They can't make her battle like this! They need to pull her off and give her medical attention. I hate battles! They're nothing but cruel!_

"Are you okay Victreebel?" Erika called out.

" _It hurts a bit, I'll admit that, but I can keep going! I'll win!"_ Victreebel's cry was filled with determination, and Red realized that, one, you didn't need to understand Pokéspeech to understand what she was saying, and two, not all Pokémon were forced to fight. Heck, he was realizing that some seemed to enjoy it.

After realizing this, Red let himself become immersed in the battle, rooting for Victreebel to give it her all, but strangely wanting Dewgong and Lorelei to come out on top. Of course for Red, this meant that he watched the battle with nothing but a smile. Victreebel managed to get off a hit on Dewgong, but he had looked no worse for wear, and Red felt an odd sense of joy at seeing Dewgong take the hit with a smile and a compliment.

 _It's so odd._ He thought. _Odd how he can be enjoying it, wanting to win, but still telling Victreebel how to hit him more often, and how to hit him for more damage. I mean, he can't enjoy the pain, can he?_

In the end though, Dewgong was pretty much unscathed, and Victreebel was knocked out. Red tensed up, waiting to hear Erika shout at Victreebel for loosing, to be pleasantly surprised when she thanked her for putting in such a good effort, and telling her to rest up, and that they'd just have to work harder. She then sent out her next Pokémon, a roselia.

The battle continued in much the same way as the first, and Red could only smile more and more at the proceeding, the looming threat to the building managing to fade from his mind. Lorelei would glance at him from time to time, a smile on her face whenever he would react to the battle in some way. Such as when a tiring Dewgong took out Roselia. Red had let out a gasp. And when Erika sent in her nuzleaf, he cheered.

"Go Nuzleaf!" His voice was filled with childlike glee, his eyes sparkling with unrestrained giddiness. He was enjoying himself.

Nuzleaf was even giving a boost of confidence it seemed when the small boy had cheered him on. He had smiled at Red, causing Red to become even happier. At that point he had looked to Lorelei as if to say, "You saw that? How cool was that!" Lorelei could barely keep herself from laughing at the way he observed the battle with such joy. In fact, all of the ones battling, trainers and Pokémon alike were having trouble focusing.

Whether Red's cheering had really helped or not, Red took credit for the moment when Nuzleaf managed to knock Dewgong out, saying that his cheering put Nuzleaf over the top with strength. They were willing to humor him.

When Lorelei pulled out her second Pokémon, Red suprised everyone.

"Lorelei?" He asked, tapping her arm. She glanced down to see a nervous, unsure look on his face. "Could I send him out? Please!"

This suggestion left everyone but Jeane, the ref, smiling. Much to her annoyance, Lorelei obliged. "Of course you can Red. Here."

"Yay! Alright, show them your strength!" Red called out, trying his best to imitate the way Lorelei had sent the other two out. And while he did a good job, the words were foreign on his tongue, and the movement of his arm to throw the pokéball was completely new to him. To say the least, he looked like a child trying to imitate their parents, and it brought a cheerful smile to everyone in the room, even the gloomy Jeane. Of all of them though, the Pokémon who came out of the pokéball seemed the most amused by his antics. The glalie that appeared let out a chuckle, as opposed to a battle cry.

* * *

The battle had proceeded, with an entranced Red, and a determined Erika. Glalie was becoming tired at last, and Erika was down to her last Pokémon.

"Alright my friend. We both began this together, let's finish this and win together!" With that little speech, Erika sent out her trusty gloom.

The final bought had both sides giving their all, and a small boy having trouble keeping up with his cheering for both sides. But he quickly gave more attention to cheering gloom on when it became apparent he was losing. Even so, the battle had tipped in Lorelei's favor, and it was only a matter of minutes until she won.

That was when the roof came down.

Red heard the sound first. He had been so engrossed in the battle, that he didn't notice the danger until he heard a sharp cracking sound. He had barely registered what happened before he found himself under a dome of ice, courtesy of Glalie.

Glalie had been the second to notice the sound. Working as soon as he heard it, he stopped fighting Gloom, and created a shield of ice above him, Lorelei and Red. The shield helped, but it wouldn't stay up too long.

Lorelei hadn't known what was happening until a thick layer of ice was separating her and a piece of the roof. Red was the one who brought her back to reality.

"We need to move. Glalie can't keep this up."

Her head snapped down to him. Surprised at how calm he sounded. She shook it off though, picking him up and calling for Glalie to follow. They raced away from the rubble, with Lorelei turning Red's head back over her shoulder and towards the pile of rubble when she saw the rubble where Jeane had stood. Red glanced over anyway, and saw a hand sticking out of the pile, unmoving. He chose to turn his head away and look for Erika and Gloom instead.

"Bite!" A voice shouted.

Red's head snapped up in time to see a golbat charging towards them. He froze, stiffening in Lorelei's arms.

Lorelei handled the situation much better, whipping around and shouting for Glalie to intercept with an attack of his own.

"Don't worry Red. It'll be okay," She assured him. He could only hide his face in the crook of her neck, unwilling to watch the fight. She said nothing about it though. She used her free arm to grab another pokéball, adding her jinx, and then her beartic to the mix. She then shifted Red in her arms once more, and used her free hand this time, to touch her key stone.

Red looked over then, watching the way the golden light arched away to meet the blue streams pulling off of Glalie. A spikier, darker version of Glalie took it's place as the pinkish evolution light died off.

Red wasn't quite sure what happened after that. He hid his face, covering his ears the best he could, tears streaming down his face. He could hear screams, angered shouts. At one point he was pretty sure he heard Erika and Gloom even. He wasn't sure anymore. There was too much noise, too many bad memories. He did the only thing he could. He acted like a child, and cried, prayed for this whole thing to end.

He latched onto Lorelei's voice assuring him that it would. He rooted himself with the comfort that was her hand stroking his hair. He held onto the promise that she gave him. The promise that he wouldn't be alone after this fight ended. He held onto her promise of a family. Because in that moment, he realized just how much he needed something that he had never had.

* * *

 **Well that was a doozy to get out. I could not, for the life of me, settle on a direction for this chapter. Originally, Jeane wasn't even gonna die. I was gonna kill the secretary. Sort of. Admittedly there wasn't any death's planned for this chapter.** _ **Buuut**_ **then I wrote Jeane and the secretary, and it sort of, happened. Again, I'm putting that I will be killing characters, maybe not main characters, but there is definitely death.**

 **Now to my reviewers!**

 **First Guest- Happy to see people already trying to figure out little mysteries, there will be more mysteries, but I won't be confirming anything until later in the story ;p**

 **Second Guest- You literally posted that idea, like, a week after I decided that was what I was gonna do. I spent so long with Red having Delia as his mom, before I went, "No, I don't want her in this story. Don't know why, I really like her, but she isn't here." I then proceeded to make an older Red be adopted under the premise that you can't be a trainer unless you have a proper guardian (not a foster parent), before I decided that he would be too old for that to work. Thus came 4 chapters of backstory. Anyways, my point was to say, I like the way you think. It's an awesome idea, and if I hadn't already thought of it I'd probably be sitting here going, "Now how do I make that fit with the plot in my head."**

 **So excited to keep putting out chapters for you guys, next chapter sets up some** _ **really**_ **, and I mean** _ **really**_ **, important backstory. And then Red gets to go travel. He will mostly follow the anime path, with some manga and game events thrown in here and there. Sorry to take up so much with an a/n. See you next chapter! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sooo… I'm so sorry with how long it's taken me to get this out, I knew where I wanted this chapter to go for weeks, but school just started up for me, and I haven't had a moment to sit down and write. But that does leave me time to get it planned out in my head so that I don't sit staring at the screen when I try to write. The chapter will switch between Red and Lance's POV sometimes during the chapter, just to show you where both of their head's are at, hope that I manage to make the points where POV switch clear enough. Also, this will be the last chapter before Red goes off on his journey. Yay!**

* * *

Chapter 4

"Rattata! Tatta rattata!"

A tiny, purple ball of fur launched its way through the small opening between door and wall, racing into the room and jumping onto the bed containing the room's sole inhabitants. The small ball of fluff landed on the man lying on the left side of the bed, crashing onto his head hard enough to jerk the man out of sleep.

 _What in the world? Ah, it's Gelsey. But if she's in here, then?_

"Another nightmare?" He groggily whispered.

The little purple rodent by the name of Gelsey vigorously nodded her head, the smallest of squeaks escaping from behind a worried expression. The woman lying in the bed shifted, and the man quickly leaned over, whispering for her to go back to sleep. He then shifted off the bed, Gelsey leaping into his arms as he padded quietly into the hallway.

A heavy sigh lingered behind closed lips, as he fretted over his new son. _Over a year, and these nightmares haven't quelled. He's only gotten better and better at hiding them. Of course, that means that the little fluffball that followed him here had to get better at detecting when he had one. Which is every night, it's just a matter of when in the night._

"I wish he would tell us what they're about. He's more than smart enough to know that we aren't falling for the not remembering act," He muttered, mostly to himself. Gelsey squeaked in response, with a decisive nod of her head. He knew that she cared for his new son as much as he and his wife did, and his restless sleep had gone unnoticed by none of them. Every one of their Pokémon had figured it out, and even if they hadn't told them, Bruno and Agatha had noticed whenever they had to watch over him while he and Lorelei both had to be away. He was grateful to the two, but he still hated leaving him.

He paused outside the door at the end of the hall. He knew how his son was, even if it had been only a year, he had come to understand him quickly. It helped that he and the other Elite Four members were able to coax out more of what his life before the orphanage was like. He gently knocked as the thoughts of his son's life before them filled his head. He knew that they had something to do with the nightmares that left each night following a routine.

Tonight was no exception. The nightmares that tore at the boy always left him curled up against the wall, as if he were trying to take up as little space as possible. He pulled the blankets around him, wrapping himself in them as much as he could, and he would stare at the walls with an empty look. Every night, when the door opened, his face would snap over to the door, terror abound, which would relax at the sight of the man he was still struggling to get used to calling dad.

Lance would cross the room in easy strides, and sit next to him, pulling him into his arms, and hold the shaking boy, whispering reassurances into his ears. In return, Red would clutch onto his shirt, and cry silent tears. Lance would stay there, stroking his hair, and holding him tight, and only a little while after he had first entered, his wife would follow, and join him in reassuring him. And after a while, Red would nod off. They would stay there a little while longer, before leaving him with Gelsey, and going back to sleep in their room, praying that Gelsey wouldn't have to visit their room again that night, or the next. Praying that their son's sleep could finally be peaceful.

* * *

 _I'd really rather not go meet some dumb professor. He'll probably act like he knows everything, just like my teachers did. I don't need someone to tell me what I already know, so why do I have to tag along?_

" _Red stop frowning. You're acting like they're sending you there for the weekend or something. You'll be there for only a few hours. Plus I'll be there, and mom and dad to. So don't act like they just kicked you out of the house or something."_

 _Even Gelsey is excited to go there. And she adapted to calling them mom and dad so quickly. Heck, I can't even hear those terms without thinking of my real parents. I do need to stop that though, maybe when I can finally tell myself they aren't my parents, I can look at Lorelei and Lance as_ _ **my**_ _parents._

"Red! Are you and Gelsey ready to go?" Lorelei questioned him.

Red glanced to Gelsey. She gave him an enthusiastic nod.

"I suppose we are." He meant to speak louder, but it instead comes out as a whisper.

Lorelei sighs and swings him up into her arms. "I know that you don't like meeting new people, but you'll like the professor."

Red simply nods, letting his mind drift into the possibilities of how the professor will treat him.

* * *

"Lorelei, Lance! It's so good to see you again! And this must be Red. It's a pleasure to meet you." The man who greeted them at the door was short. He was a few heads taller than Red was, with a sandy sort of gray brown hair. If Red had to guess, he would say it was the color of a meowth's fur. His eyes were so dark a blue that they almost appeared black in the right light. He seemed exhausted, a quickly thrown on, crumpled lab coat, and pants that looked like they were slept in.

" _He looks like he slept in that, doesn't he? I wonder what he could have been working on to keep him up that long?"_ Gelsey half whispered.

Before Red could answer though, the man was speaking again. "My name is Professor Oak, though they probably already informed you of that. Now I doubt you'll have to much fun listening to us discuss new trainer policies and the rules of the league tournament this year, so why don't I show you the corral. It's a large, open range that the Pokémon staying here spend their time at. My grandson and granddaughter are there as well, so I'm sure you'll be able to find something fun for the three of you to do."

Red smiled slightly as Lorelei set him down and led him and Gelsey out back.

"Gary! Daisy! Where are you two! I have someone for you to meet, he'll be spending the afternoon with you!" The Professor shouted. He seemed extremely happy as he called in the two children, and once they came into sight from the woods that bordered the small plain outside of the lab, it was clear why. The two children were bundles of energy, charging across the grass with smiles as wide as can be, and two Pokémon that shared the look. The two children stopped in front of their grandfather, faces filled to the brim with delight.

"Who's that Gramps?" The brown haired one asked. It came about a bit harshly, which he evidently noticed, as his face grew red. He was about Red's size, with spiky hair the color of the eevee that was perched on his shoulder. He had dark eyes like his grandfather, that bordered more on black than they did blue.

The girl next to him smacked his head lightly, an exasperated look on her face. She appeared older by perhaps a few years, but carried herself in a way that said she was far more mature than he was, or would even hope to be at her age. She had shoulder length, honey-blonde hair that neatly framed her face, and a lighter shade of blue filled her eyes. While her brothers made Red think of the night sky, hers reminded him of the sky during the day.

 _He looks like trouble, but not the same kind as the boys at orphanage. Perhaps he could be more tolerable than the boys that I knew before. She however, looks like she's constantly running after him. I am unsure how to feel about the company I am going to be keeping._

"This is Red, I expect you to show him around the ranch while I discuss this year's league rules with Lorelei and Lance." His face was stern as he said this, but a smile light his eyes that said that he wasn't really all that worries.

"Don't worry Grandpa, I'll make sure Gary doesn't do anything to stupid and scare him off."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" The spiky haired boy shouted, his eevee's face mimicking his own. "Ignore my _lame_ sister and hang out with me today instead!" He gave a huge, toothy grin that took up his whole face. Red could only smirk at their actions, though inside he wondered if all siblings were supposed to act like this. His smirk turned into a proper smile as the girl pounced on her brother, wrapping him in a hug, and leaving him shouting that he was too old for her to hug him like that.

"Come on Daisy, be nice to your brother," The Professor berated.

" _I am_ being nice Grandpa! It's not _my_ fault he doesn't like hugs." Reds smile remained while Gary grumbled about his sister's actions, and the three adults laughed at their actions. "Anyways… Come on Red, why don't we start by showing you the Pokémon we were just playing with!"

"Hey no fair! I'm showing him around!" Gary shouted as he grabbed Red's arm and dragged him off towards the group of Pokémon a little ways behind them.

"Be good you three!" Oak called before he, Lorelei, and Lance went inside.

* * *

"So this guy here on my shoulder is Eevee. He's been with me since he hatched. I'm pretty much his guardian at this point." Gary said proudly.

" _I think he means that_ _ **I'm**_ _his guardian, not the other way around."_ Eevee muttered, playfully jumping onto Gary's head, causing him to almost fall at the shift in weight.

"Haha. And this usually chatty one here is my best buddy Chatot," Daisy said, her arm flying up for Chatot to fly off her shoulder to land on her outstretched hand. He knew the pose was meant to be cool, but it was just laughable. Which Gary did laugh at.

" _Hey, at least we try to look cool and not like we just got out of bed,"_ Chatot shot as he turned his head from Eevee and Gary.

Red's already growing smile widened more when Gelsey said " _They match their trainers perfectly, don't they?"_

"Hey Red! I bet you'll love this! Come on over here! See now look a little down and to the left, and you'll see them." Gary smiled as Red shuffled a few steps forward.

"Baby growlithe!" Red gasped as he looked into the hollow at the base of the tree Gary had pointed him too.

Daisy smiled, walking up beside Red and her brother. "Yep. They're our Grandpa's. His prized Arcanines babies."

"Prized?"

"Yeah, though I think spoiled is a better word." Daisy's reply was so calm, and easily said, as if a spoiled arcanine was normal. But for Red, all that happened was that he became even more confused than before.

" _People can interact pretty strangely with Pokémon, huh?" Gelsey asked._

" _You realize he doesn't understand you, right?" Chatot said, his voice taking on a snobbish turn._

Red had set Gelsey upon the ground with Eevee and Chatot, and had followed Gary closer to the pups. Daisy and Gary showed him how to care for the little pups and all the different games you could play with a pack of puppies, while the three Pokémon. And for a few hours, this continued, games and just general fun.

* * *

Screams.

Red was the first to hear them. His head had snapped up, facing to the South, away from where he stood with his parents and new friends, getting ready to leave. It had been hours of fun, something Red had never in his _wildest_ dreams imagined happening. Before he had first left his home, he hadn't even known what fun _was_ , and now he had had a day full of it. But then the screams came.

He heard them all the time, though more often than not the screaming came from within his own mind. But this time they came from farther away, and they were the screams of Pokémon, infants and adults alike. He wasn't the only one to hear it though, as Gelsey, in his arms, faced that direction only seconds after he did, Eevee and Chatot joining them.

" _Red. There's a lot of screaming coming from that direction,"_ Gelsey squeaked.

" _And smoke."_ It was such a simple statement that slipped out of Chatot's mouth, but it carried an unbelievable amount of weight.

Red said nothing in reply, instead he tugged upon Lorelei's sleeve, a worried expression on his face as he pointed at the rising smoke.

"What is it Red?" Lorelei questioned when he had tugged upon her sleeve. They all paused to wonder what such a quiet boy would have to say. With slight surprise at his choice to point, as opposed to speak, they looked to where he pointed. The littler ones let out strangled shouts.

"Oak, watch over Red, Lorelei and I will handle this." Lance shouted, taking his wife's hand and racing down the path.

"Come on, let's round up the Pokémon nearby and then get you all inside." Professor Oak's face was a mask of calm, but it didn't take a genius to see through his facade.

His grandchildren nodded, with Gary turning and pulling Red along after him.

"They'll be fine. They're two of the strongest trainers in all of Kanto." Gary's smile and words should have soothed Red, he knew this. But even so, the thought of who might be out there, and why they would just attack like that left him frightened.

* * *

It seemed like ages had passed before all the nearby Pokémon were rounded up. In reality though, perhaps 20 minutes had passed, but that was far too long in Red's opinion.

 _I hope things are okay. If they're still out there, then does that mean that whoever is over there is really strong, or that they play really dirty? I hope that it's just them trying to calm the Pokémon in the area._

" _Red, they're fine. I know you can't understand me, but I hope you can at least understand the feelings I'm trying to convey to you,"_ Eevee purred as he rubbed his soft fur along Red's face. He had clambered upon Red's shoulder when Gary had taken some of the growlithe pups back. Gary had gone with his sister, and Eevee had felt it better to remain with Red and the Professor for the moment.

"Thanks Eevee. I do understand you, and I don't share your feelings on the matter, but thank you for trying anyway," Red muttered as he pulled the ball of fluff off of his shoulder and into his arms.

" _I'm sure they're fi- Wait! What!"_ Eevee shouted.

"Can we focus on that later, please." Red's voice was low, and Eevee could just barely hear the fear in it as he spoke.

" _Ok. But I'm telling you they'll be just fine. I'm positive that some Pokémon just got a little too riled up and started a fight."_

Red didn't answer. His gaze had drifted onto the back of a lone pikachu. It hadn't been in the clearing earlier, which meant it had just arrived from closer to the fighting. Red was more concerned about how, one he hadn't heard it approach, and two, how exhausted it seemed.

 _It looks like it's been running for days. But if it's that exhausted, why didn't I hear it get close? Hmm, no heart shaped cleft, a male then. Powerful to if it hasn't collapsed even though it appears to want to. Maybe whatever happened is his fault? Possible, but unlikely. He is after all, just a pikachu. It's not like he's-_

"Red, head back to the lab, now." The Professor's voice cut into his musings. Red cocked his head slightly, confusion upon his face. "Now Red."

"Alright?" Red's voice was filled with doubt, but he agreed. Speaking however, was a mistake on his part. The pikachu, which had at first been ignoring them, was about to set off running again. But at the sound of Red's voice, it froze, before slowly turning to face him.

The Professor had registered what was happening before Red did, as his eyes had never left the face of the yellow rodent. He began to speak again, but was cut off by Red's gasp, and an arc of electricity.

" _Professor!"_ Eevee's voice was strangled, as if he was struggling to decide whether he should start crying, or start trying to attack he Pokémon that had attacked the Professor. Eevee chose to check on the Professor first, noting that he was indeed, still alive, before he turned back to face the other small Pokémon. " _You'll pay."_

Red however, remained rooted to the spot the whole time, and the pikachu hadn't moved either. They stared at each other, Red, trying to comprehend if the lighter patch of fur in the shape of a flame upon the rodent's face was real, or a trick of the light. The pikachu, in turn, was searching the boy's eyes. The rodent nodded, as if to himself, when he saw the way the boy's eyes looked like they held the milky way in them.

"Pika." It wasn't a question, or a shortening of the Pokémon's name. It _was_ a name. The name that he and the rodent had given him when they had decided that living without their siblings hurt to much, mentally and physically. It was the name they had decided on when they had chosen to be more than they had been told they could ever hope to be. It was the name that started one life anew, and had begun the process of changing the others.

" _Hello master."_ The voice was quiet, and though it was soft, it wasn't very high pitched, nor very deep. Many had said that he spoke the same as Red, with the voice of a quiet child.

"I told you not to call me that anymore," Red replied, trying to force himself to be annoyed. But the relief was evident upon him. To any who looked at this moment, it would appear that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

" _Red?"_ Eevee called, confusion lacing his voice.

" _Is that the name you went with? I thought you didn't care for it that much, reminded you too much of fire you said."_

"Fire's a part of me, I can't keep denying that truth, and besides that, you had really liked that name. I thought that if I never saw you again-" Red paused, tears pooled in his eyes, "I just thought that you would have been happy with that choice."

" _I am happy if you are happy master, you know that. Now, let's go before anyone can take you away again."_ Pika raced forward, jumping into Red's waiting arms, and snaking up onto his shoulder. Both of them looked as if somehow, everything was right again, and even in the midst of everything going on around them, nothing could be wrong.

"Red?"

The voice of the Professor started Red, causing him to jump back a few feet. Pika on the other hand, began to spark, a feral look in his eyes.

" _Guess I didn't hit him hard enough."_

"Pika no. He's nice." Simple words, without much of an explanation behind them. Anyone else would have asked for an elaboration. But not Pika. They were, in almost every sense of the word, connected. Though they couldn't feel each other during their long years apart, the moment they had touched, the two were whole again, and could understand each other with so much as a glance.

"Red… I don't- What's-"

"I can explain Professor, just please give me a chance to tell you the _whole_ story, and not just cut me off part way through," Red begged.

The Professor, though stunned, nodded his head. Before either could say anything more though, an explosion sounded in the distance.

"Mom! Dad!"

* * *

The explosion had launched Lance clear across the field in which a fierce battle was raging. He landed upon his side in the grass, getting at worst a slight scrape and a sudden need for air. His wife on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

Lorelei had been closer to the explosion. Her dewgong had been facing off against the grunt's houndoom, while Lance had focused his efforts and his dragonite against the head's hydreigon, as around them, their other Pokémon had faced off against the two Team Rocket member's bisharp, cacturne, machamp, and aggron.

The lower grunt had ordered his houndoom to counter Dewgong's aqua tail attack with its own overheat attack. The result? A massive steam explosion that sent some of the battlefield flying in every direction. Lorelei was struck by one of these flying pieces, and launched directly backwards, only to crash almost immediately into a different pile of debris.

"Lorelei!" Lance screamed as he pulled himself up from the ground. He moved to try and get to her, but their machamp moved in front of him, forcing him to either back up, or be crushed. Lance's garchomp moved to try and protect her trainer, but was prevented from doing so by the enemy aggron. "Lorelei!"

She was alone, unconscious, and defenseless. Dewgong, the only one close to her, was out cold. She was easy prey to the bloodthirsty houndoom.

"Kill her. The less people in our way, the better." The leader held no remorse in his voice as he ordered her death.

"No. No!" Lance's voice was strangled, and mixed with the distressed calls of the Pokémon fighting with them. It didn't make any difference though, for the houndoom continued moving forward, face filled with a savage delight at the prospect of what it was about to do.

The houndoom was hovering over her, when the ground around it began to shift, and the grass to grow, the dirt becoming full of plant life, that was growing longer and longer. It didn't notice, none of them could, the plants appeared within a blink of the eye. All they saw, was an empty patch, with a viscous Pokémon preparing to kill, and a movement of green from the ground. The next thing they saw, was green, grass like vines, with flowers and all sorts of different plant life upon them, sticking up from the ground, and through the attacking Pokémon.

"Wha- What just- Did the ground-?" The lower ground was as confused as Lance was, the other grunt, however, wasn't.

"Heh, Boss was right. The worthless rat _would_ lead us to the brat."

"Thundershock."

The aggron that had been beating garchomp, and the machamp that had been trying to attack Lance both dropped. One hit, and the two were unconscious upon the ground, sparks still jumping off of them.

"And that must be the brat."

 _Red! What is he doing here! It's far too dangerous, something could happen to him! I have to get him and Lorelei away, now! If anything happened to them…_

Lance moved to get near Red, worry for the boy clouding his mind. The leader of the attack however, was also moving towards Red, and ad no intentions of letting Lance reach him.

"Hydreigon, don't let him get any nearer!" The man cried.

The hydreigon launched a fierce dragon rush, slamming into Dragonite, and zooming past, on a collision course with Lance.

"Pika!" Red screamed across the field. Pika registered his voice, and switched his target from going after the nearby bisharp, to the other grunt, slamming an iron tail into his back, and launching him into the path of the oncoming hydreigon.

The force in which Pika launched him slammed the hydreigon off course, and away from Lance. The grunt however, was now a mangled heap upon the ground, dead.

"You little! You think you can just do whatever you want, is that it!" The now alone grunt began to scream at Red. He was within 20ft of Red, and no-one else was close enough to protect him from the verbal lashing that came from the man. A string of curses came, all indicated towards the poor boy. "You're worthless, a tool. You can't think for yourself, all you can do is follow orders, and what good are you if you can't even do that."

Red tried to back away, succeeding only in backing into the all but forgot cacturne. Lance tried to get closer again, this time having nothing in his path, but the he was still too far away when the grunt reached Red, and pulled his arm back to strike him. The man threw the punch at Red, only for flames to erupt from the ground.

They circle, an inferno engulfing them all. The man's screams could be heard alongside the cacturnes for a few seconds, before they and their silhouettes vanished. Panic spread through Lance, but he tried to focus. Red was in the inferno, his silhouette visible, his cries of pain- no- sadness, audible, but Lorelei. Lorelei was feet away from the flames, and the grass around her was already beginning to ignite. Choosing to focus on what he could do, Lance charged to her side, pulling her into his arms and moving her away from the fire.

As he moved her, she awoke. Blood streaming down the side of her face from where she had struck the ground, ankle twisted around and obviously broken. He was surprised she wasn't screaming in pain, he knew she was tough, but he would think that with such injuries, even she would be at least whimpering.

"Red. He's not.." She began. It made sense to him now, why she didn't notice her injuries. She was focused on the flames, and their child within.

Lance looked away, all she needed to know for sure. A strangled cry fought to escape her throat, tears in her eyes as she realized what must have happened. "No. No it can't be, he… He just can't be- be in that…"

Moments passed, with the flames only growing, instead of shrinking. It wasn't long after Lance had moved Lorelei, though the time moved with agonizing slowness, that Pika chose to take matters into his own hands. The yellow mouse charged forward, into the flames, intent on reaching the one he had called master.

 _What is it trying to do? It saw what happened to the other two! But, if Red is the origin of those flames, as I fear he is, then perhaps that mouse is… No! No, Red… He can't be… Team Rocket created monsters to fight for them, and here came this man, claiming Red to be one of them! But, even if he doesn't act anything like the killers that Team Rocket made, does that mean that he isn't one of them after all? One of them_ _ **could**_ _create fire, and that thing with the plans, I don't think I've ever heard of a Pokémon that could do that._ Lance paused in his musings, watching as the pikachu leapt up and clung onto Red's chest. He noticed how Red gradually seemed to calm down, until the flames were gone, and the boy, exhausted, collapsed.

 _I don't care. I don't care if what they said was true or not. He is a good kid, and he is my son. I will not let words change that. No matter what, I will keep him safe, and if what they said_ _ **was**_ _true, then Lorelei and I will make sure that he never ends up the way they wanted him to, and never ends up in_ _ **their**_ _hands again. He claimed to not have any parents when the orphanage took him, I see now that it wasn't because he had never known his, but because he didn't want to be associated with them anymore. If his wish is truly to change, then I will help him to do so._

Lance helped Lorelei up, and helped her over to Red. She gathered him and the Pokémon on his chest, and simply held them, stroking his hair. Lance knew that she felt the exact same way he did about the matter.

* * *

 **Wow, I took forever on this chapter. Like I put, school started, so I had to fall into my non summer pattern. But I'm getting it, I'll probably be able to update best on the weekends though. Anyway, if you have any questions about the way the chapter went I hope that I'll be able to answer them in either an A/N or something like that to clarify, or put that it'll be in a chapter if it's an important plot point for my story. Like I said way earlier, this is a story I've had forever, and I'm really excited to put it out here. Please leave a Review! Bye for now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, this chapter starts the travelling! Over time I'll delve further into Red and Pika's backstory, and I'll try not to make them to OP. Generally chapters from here on out will cover one or more episodes of the anime. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

" _They worry too much. Do they even realize how much they worry?"_

" _Of course they realize that, wouldn't_ _ **you**_ _be worried if you sent Red off without you,"_ Gelsey patiently replied. She, like the many other Pokémon who had come to know Pika, had gotten used to his brusque mannerisms. He still said exactly what he thought, but he had gotten better at apologizing for it, and even managed to say it in a politer way. Sometimes. He also no longer prepared to attack anyone within 30 yards of him or Red, though he still looked wary of almost everyone. In all, Gelsey would say that he had grown much in the past 3 years.

Red had as well. He was ten now, which meant that like his parents, both adoptive and biological, he would begin traveling to be a Pokémon trainer. He still didn't care for fighting, but he understood that many Pokémon did. Pika being one of them.

His luxray colored hair was covered by a red hat with a white front. He had a black t-shirt, with a short sleeved, red jacket that didn't zip up. The sleeves, and bottom were white, and the collar that pushed up was also white. He had a pair of fingerless gloves, the same black as his shirt, that after reaching the base of his hand, extended a little further down his wrist in pure white. To round it off, he wore a simple pair of dark blue jeans, with black running shoes. Lorelei had picked it out for him, but Red had requested the hat and gloves to go with it. Lance had shook his head, trying not to laugh at the look Red had given when he was told he couldn't just run around in shorts and a t-shirt.

But right now, Lance's eyes were misty, as the next morning he would be sending his son off into the world. He was happy, his son was taking after him after all, and he wanted his son to do whatever made him happy, but he would miss him. Lorelei was crying, with Red trying to get her to stop.

"Mom, I'm not even leaving till tomorrow. You've been doing this for a month now. Mom, please. Please stop crying already, I promised to visit didn't I? I will visit, it's not like I'm leaving for good or anything." She continued to cry, only this time with a smile. Red on the other hand, was exhausted. He knew she cared, and would miss him, and honestly he would miss her too, but he never was good with tears.

"It's getting late, we should all get some sleep. Tomorrows a big day," Lance said, hoping to spare Red from anymore tears till the next day.

And the next day was September 8th. Not a particularly important day. Not unless you lived near Pallet Town that is. Two times a year Professor Oak of Pallet Town would provide Starter Sets to new trainers that had passed the test for their trainer's license. Once in spring, on April 1st, and once in the fall, on September 8th. Red had passed the test, and would be headed to the Professor's the next morning to pick up his Starter Set, minus the Pokémon. He would be provided with the same as everyone else, 15 pokéballs, 10 potions, an escape rope and a Pokémon Encyclopedia, or Pokédex for short. His starter would be Pika, so he wouldn't be receiving a Pokémon from the Professor, which worked out as the Professor only had three starters this time around, and four children about to start.

"Right, right. Tomorrow's a big day. Oh I just wish I could be there to see you off," Lorelei sighed.

"I know Mom, but you can't exactly change the day of a League meeting. Besides, I'll stop in to visit, and I'll call often," Red said with a smile. He was sadder than he let on, but knew that his parents couldn't get out of a League meeting. They were scheduled to discuss the events proceeding in the League's domain, and how best to go about dealing with any problems that could or already had arisen. Even if they weren't part of the Elite 4, being two of the most powerful trainers in the region, they had to be there.

" _Well, let's say our goodnights and hit the hay. I'm ready for tomorrow to roll around!"_ Pika shouted gleefully, jumping onto Red's shoulder.

" _So excited to be leaving us, are we now?"_ Gelsey inquired, a joking expression on her face.

" _Not my fault that you don't want to travel. I can't see how you could ever be content to stay in one place forever, without ever going out to see what the rest of the world has to offer."_

" _Alright mister philosophical. Some of us don't have the boundless energy you do."_ Gelsey said with a smile. They continued back and forth like this, as Red and his parents prepared to head to sleep. Red was certain that he wouldn't sleep though, his mind filled with thoughts of the kind of adventures he'll have.

* * *

Silent tears, and a quivering gasp. The only sign that Red had awoken from his slumber. He didn't say anything, letting the tears slide without a sound. He was good at hiding his pain now, Pika was the only one who could hear when he was awoken by nightmares of the past, and he was getting better at hiding them from him too. Most nights, he had to wonder what brought on that particular memory. This night he didn't.

 _Ugh… I hate this. Why can't he give the Starter Sets out somewhere other than his lab. Ugh… I really shouldn't focus on it too much. Yeah, I just need to_ _ **not**_ _think about the test tubes, and the needles, and the machines designed to measure just how powerful we got… Just need to not think about those things, yep._

" _Red, nightmare?"_ A voice croaked out quietly in the moonlit room.

"Yeah. Just… Remembering the labs." Red's voice was barely audible, but still more than loud enough for the yellow mouse.

" _I get it, but this lab isn't like the others."_

"I know. This professor's nice, and doesn't try to run any tests on us. Well, besides the ones to make sure we don't get a build of of energy and fall sick again." Pika gave him a soft glare. "Sorry, _I_ don't fall sick again."

" _You'll really have to pay attention to the amount of energy you build up while we're traveling."_

"I know. That's why we got stuff to monitor that for us, remember. And besides, as long as we have that, then we don't have to go near to many labs," Red whispered with a smile.

" _Yeah. I don't like labs. Heh, kind of like how some people don't like hospitals, eh? Place you were created- well, born for normal people- but you don't really like them."_

"Yeah, at least most labs don't actually cary test tubes." Red paused, letting out a sigh and a shudder. "I don't think I could manage to walk through a place with a test tube."

" _Well it is illegal to create a living creature in a test tube. And it's also illegal to manipulate their genes, so any league permitted lab wouldn't have such things. Which is good, because I don't think we could handle a test tube_ _ **even**_ _if we could handle wires, monitors, needles, and other 'medical' machinery."_ Pika scrunched his ears up and down in an imitation of air quotes when he said the word medical.

Red laughed at the look on Pika's face and at his attempt to do air quotes, before he said, "Pika, you really should learn the names of those machines you know."

" _Nope! Now, back to sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow!"_

 _And he's asleep again. Wish I could fall asleep that easily. He is right though, we can only take so much of all the lab and science stuff before we have to plug our ears. Things will get better though, they already have. And tomorrow, no wait, it just past 3 in the morning… That means today! Today I get to be a trainer, and see the world! Just a few more hours to go._

* * *

"You're late Red. You know that Grandpa dislikes tardiness."

"Yeah, sorry Daisy. Mom was having a hard time saying bye," Red muttered.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. You should be apologizing to Grandpa, and yourself."

Red gave her a confused look, prompting her to continue. "Little brother, the boy with the biggest ego in the whole world, got almost the whole town together, plus a bunch a cheerleaders together to send him off. In a red convertible. I honestly can't believe him sometimes," Daisy said, shaking her head. Upon her shoulder, Chatot squawked out an agreement.

"A... convertible? That's… a car? Right? Don't those make a lot of noise though?" Red asked slowly, confusion in every word.

"Yep. Told you, I just can't understand him sometimes. How he expects to catch Pokémon when he's driving around I'll never know." Daisy was shaking her head, clearly exasperated. Red and Pika often found it hard to believe she was only three years older than them.

Up ahead, cheering could be heard coming from the large crowd. Well, large for a small town. Altogether, there were maybe 50 people saying goodbye's and wishing luck and good fortune. 10 of them seemed to be cheerleaders of some sort. And at the center of the crowd, was the ever center of attention, Gary Oak.

"Don't worry, I'll return a champion, and put Pallet Town on the map!" He shouted, making his way to his car. Only a little ways from his car, he turned his head to spot his sister coming up the path, with Red in tow.

"Do I have to go through that crowd?" Red asked Daisy.

"You know that you have to go through the front. Guess you should have gotten here earlier then," Daisy replied.

"Red! There you are! I was starting to wonder if you'd ever show. Though to be fair, you have me as your rival. If I had me as my rival, I wouldn't really want to show up either!" Gary joked. His words seemed harsh, but the smile on his face and in his eyes showed that he meant them only in a teasing manner, and didn't take them all that seriously.

"Gary, what starter did you get?" Red asked. _I know that Gary has Eevee with him, but he mentioned that he would take his grandpa up on his offer to give the both of us traditional starter Pokémon._

"Ha. I know that you would just love to know, but you're gonna have to wait until we battle to find out. Anyways I have to get going, and _you_ still have to get your Starter Set. Smell ya later Red, Sis," Gary shouted before he jumped into the back of his car. He waved at them as the car peeled out and left the town in the dust.

"He confuses me," Red stated simply.

"You and me both. He is right though, for once. You need to go up and get your Starter Set. Guess we'll part ways here then. Best of luck Red!" Daisy said with a bright smile.

Red nodded and said, "Thanks Daisy."

He then turned and went up the steps that led into the lab. Walking quickly past the main portion of the lab, he made his way to the back where he knew the Professor would be waiting.

"I'm here," Red stated quietly. He had come up when the Professor was turned around, and as such, startled the old man quite badly.

"Ack! Red! I was wondering when you would arrive! Wish you could be a little less quiet with your entrances, but… I suppose I should hand you your set. Where did I put it again? Ah, here is your Pokédex. It records data on the Pokémon you catch, and gives you information on known Pokémon. I would say more, but you know how to use one. And, here are your potions, use them sparingly on this first Route, there's a Pokémon Center in Viridian, if you're going to do some serious training, wait until you're near there, potions do cost a fair bit in areas where there are generally less trainers. Your escape rope. Do not leave a town without one. Rope is very important, if you get stuck somewhere, you'll need it _and_ your Pokémon to help get you out. Lastly, your Pokéballs. You know how these works, throw them at a weakened Pokémon to catch it and all that. I get the feeling though that you won't be catching very many Pokémon like that however," The Professor explained. He handed Red each of the items as he listed them off. He knew that Red didn't need the explanation, but it was mandatory.

"Probably not. Thank you Professor. Take care, and don't get too lost in your work again that you forget to take care of yourself."

"Ha… I can't really make any promises other than that I'll try on that one. You be careful out there. Oh and Red, one last thing. Do you plan on taking the Gym Challenge? You don't have to decide now, but I was wondering if you would," The professor asked.

"I'm not sure. I might. Pika says we should, so I probably will. Nothing's for certain yet though. The only real reason I'm even considering it though is that you mentioned that I could avoid the Viridian Gym," Red said with a shrug.

"Alright… Speaking of Pika, you have his Pokéball, correct?" The Professor inquired. He wished to press the subject of why Red wanted to avoid Viridian City so badly, but wouldn't force the boy to speak. As such he changed the subject to one they had learned the hard way. Pika hated being in his Pokéball, and had all but created a new electrical field to avoid being caught in one. But for safety reasons, Red had to catch him, and still had to carry his Pokéball on him.

"Yes Professor, it's the only one on my belt."

"Good, don't forget it somewhere. Best of luck, and be careful out there Red," The Professor said, waving goodbye as Red turned and walked out, Pika using his tail to wave goodbye as they left.

"Thanks Professor, goodbye!"

* * *

" _Route 1, connecting the eternally green city to the town of pure-white beginnings. Blegh. What weird descriptions for towns!"_ Pika stated as soon as they stepped onto the route.

Red paused, turning around to look at the town that he had considered a second home for the past 3 years. Even though he lived near the Indigo Plateau with his parents and the other Elite 4 members, he often went to visit the Professor, Gary, and Daisy. They were a second family to him, and though he still wasn't comfortable in the lab, he had come to know the lab as well as his own home.

"Agreed. Such descriptions don't really make any sense. Pallet Town doesn't get any snow, so it isn't pure-white, and Viridian City certainly isn't very green."

" _Right. Speaking of Viridian, I think we should move through there as fast as possible. I'd really rather not risk_ _ **Him**_ _being in town for once to do his job and run into us as we head somewhere, or if we have to pass by the Gym. I'd really rather not risk us getting recognized."_ Pika's face was a mixture between disgust, fear, and anger as he spoke. He clung to Red's shoulder, choosing to get a free ride as opposed to walk.

"True. It's unlikely that **He'll** be there, but he does run the Gym, and I'd rather not risk it. Now I'd really rather not continue down this path of talking about what **could** happen. I **was** wondering though, do you really want to battle?"

" _Well, yeah, actually I do. I know it seems odd, knowing that I'll already win and all, but as long as the goal isn't to break my opponent, I'd like to test the strength of other Pokémon."_

"I guess I can understand that. I say that we register for the Gym Challenge in Pewter City then. Thankfully there are lots of Gyms, so we can avoid the one in Viridian."

" _Yeah. I wouldn't want to fight father. Blegh. The word just doesn't sit right when I have to place_ _ **Him**_ _in that position. After spending 3 years with Lorelei and Lance, trying to place the terms of mom and dad on anyone else just feels wrong."_

"Yeah, it really does."

They continued their banter a little while longer, but soon fell into a companionable silence. While many would find the silence awkward, the two found it comfortable. They quite enjoyed being alone in their thoughts, hearing nothing but the wind in the grass and leaves, the rush of the nearby river, and the sound of each other's breathing. It was quite calming to them.

Awhile later, around noon, Pika broke the silence.

" _Those spearow appear to be circling. Do you think that they are attacking someone?"_

"Perhaps."

" _It's about a 5 minute walk from where we are I think."_

"We run it will be less than half of that." With that simple statement, Pika jumped off of Red's shoulder, and the two turned off the path, and began jogging towards the flock of spearow.

Around 2 minutes later, they found the center of the attacks. A red-headed girl was lying on the ground, a bit bruised, but otherwise no worse for wear. Next to her was a starmie, which, even though it was exhausted, continued to attacking the spearow that tried to get close.

Red turned his head, his eyes meeting Pika's. A moment later, Pika had dashed forward, and, using the starmie as a springboard, launched up, and sent a thundershock into the air.

The spearow let out cries of pain, and the ones that didn't collapse, flew away, not wishing to be zapped any further. Red knew that he had to get the girl and her Pokémon away though, as spearows are quite territorial.

"Pika, we should move them out of spearow territory. It won't be long to they come back for a second attack," Red started, moving towards towards the exhausted Pokémon and trainer. The starmie had been knocked down, and didn't have the strength to stand back up. "Do you have a Pokéball?"

" _Yes. There, by the water. My trainer had just sent me out, but then she was attacked before she could replace my Pokéball to her belt."_ The starmie replied. Red nodded to show he heard, and moved towards the bank.

" _Maybe not the best time, but the Professor did ask us to fill out the Pokédex, so if I were you I would use it to get the info on the spearow and that starmie."_ Pika said as he jumped onto Red's shoulder.

"You're right. I'll take a look before we head out," Red replied, picking up the Pokéball from the bank. He began to walk back, pulling out the Pokédex, and pointing it at the starmie.

 _Starmie's center section- the core- glows brightly in seven colors. Because of its luminous nature, this Pokémon has been given the nickname "the gem of the sea"._ The Pokédex stated. It had a robotic voice, and appeared to be comprised of 2 or more voices layered over each other.

Red nodded to himself pointing Starmie's Pokéball at it and returning it to rest.

" _Now the spearow."_

"I know." Red pointed the Pokédex at one of the knocked out spearow next.

 _Inept at flying high, spearow flaps its small wings rapidly to fly. Very territorial, it's high, keening cry is sent out as a warning to each other of danger._

" _Sounds about right, but they forgot the part about being vicious."_

"Hush Pika, you're being rude. Now you have to walk so that I can carry the girl and her Starmie."

" _Okay, okay. I'll walk don't worry. I'll watch the skies too."_

"That sounds like what- I mean thank you."

" _I know what you were going to say, and I know what you, meant. You're welcome. Now let's get going, you're dwaddling."_

"Right, right."

"You broke her bike, Pika."

* * *

The two had walked for about an hour, and were only a few miles out from the city. The sun was just above the horizon, and though the sky went from a saffron hue to a light merigold, the route itself was covered in nothing short of a honey glow. The dirt road had been turned to mud by a short rainstorm that had passed through after the two had left the river.

The rain had cleared up however, leaving the grass and the tree leaves sparkling and shining from the droplets as they swayed in the light breeze. The sky had been stripped free of clouds by the breeze that stirred the grass and trees. The air was filled with the musky scent of rain soaked earth. The scent being one of their absolute favorites, it put a sort of pep in Red and Pika's step.

" _I like sunsets," Pika announced in the silence encompassing their walk._

Red slowed, his steps coming to a halt. He turned back to face the way they came, and the to face the setting sun. "So do I. They're really pretty, and really calming. I wonder how often they get noticed anymore. We don't really take the time to just stop and watch them, do we?"

" _No, but on our journey, we can take our time, and enjoy the little things that we never really got to,"_ Pika acknowledged.

"Yeah… Hey Pika? What's that colorful thing, the circle looking one up there." Red attempts to point, before remembering that the he is carrying the injured girl on his back.

" _Um… I don't know. I don't think we've seen one of those before. But I think that we learned about them once. Maybe… I recall hearing something about large colorful strips in the sky after it rains sometimes. I don't recall hearing a name to go with it though,"_ Pika answered bashfully.

"Oh. Okay! We'll just ask someone once we get to the Viridian Hospital!" Red lilted.

" _Red. The hospital will be closed by the time we reach the City,"_ Pika muttered.

"Well that's dumb. A hospital shouldn't close, it should just have a shift in workers. People could be really hurt or ill and need the hospital. Well… I suppose that's what they have an Emergency Room for, right? That is the place that I think it is, and means what I think it does, right? Well either way, we have to go to that place then," Red replied, refusing to let the news damage his spirits.

" _ **Red**_ _. I know you don't forget anything, so maybe you just didn't hear, but the Viridian Emergency Room got burnt down last week,"_ Pika groaned.

"What! Why? I thought that people would respect a place of healing," Red muttered. Turning away from the sunset and heading back down the route.

" _You would think, but some people have no sense of honor. And I don't mean that they weren't raised with one, I mean that they were, and chose to ignore it, and chose chaos instead,"_ Pika said. He was visibly fuming, enough so that the flame shaped patch of lighter fur glowed slightly, and his eyes crinkled as his face scrunched together.

"That's horrid. Why would someone who knows the difference between good and bad pick bad? It doesn't make any sense."

" _Not everyone thinks with logic. Some horrid people think with greed."_

Red didn't reply. He didn't really know how to reply to that. It was quite true, many people knew what they were doing was bad, but did it anyways. It frustrated Red that people would act so horrendously to each other just for something like money.

Lost in his thoughts, Red didn't notice the creature in the sky. Not until Pika called to him.

" _Red, lookup," Pika said in awe._

Red tilted his head, before glancing up. He almost fell over at the sight of the red and white feathered bird flying overhead. As the two watched, it made its way past them, flying towards Pallet Town. Red was struck by the regal way this bird flew, so much so that he didn't register Pika calling to him.

" _RED! Pull out your Pokédex! Honestly it's like I'm doing all the work here! Maybe I should be the trainer and get the Pokédex!" Pika scoffed._

"Huh? Oh! Right!" Red shouted, struggling to grab his Pokédex and not drop the already injured girl. "Got it!"

 _Data cannot be retrieved, authorization, not found._

"Auth-or-iz-ation?"

 _Affirmative. Data pertaining to this Pokémon is found under Region Johto, either upgrade to the National Dex version, or obtain a Johto Dex._

" _So then there is no way to show the Professor?"_ Pika questioned, glancing towards the bird that was nearing the horizon.

 _Camera mode active. Point towards subject, and request a Picture Capture._

"Ok-ay…" Red muttered, confused. He obliged, however, shifting the girl on his back, and pointing the Pokédex towards the slowly disappearing figure. "May I have a Picture Capture?"

Click. _Picture Capture complete._ The picture was far away, but the Pokémon was more than visible enough. Its green tipped wings, and golden tail plumage stood out from the saffron sky.

"I hope the Professor can identify this for us. But we should probably hurry, I forgot that regular people aren't that sturdy. We should probably be hurrying. The Pokédmon Center is the best place to go to, right Pika?"

" _Yeah. Let's get going!"_

* * *

 **Okay, so this took me** _ **waaay**_ **to long. I'm so sorry. I'm trying my hardest to write at every opportune moment, but I am swamped with schoolwork right now. I know it's not an excuse, and I'll try to be regular with updates.**

 **Anyways, I really enjoyed writing this chapter because, I finally sent the kid on the journey! Like, the main point of any Pokémon story is the traveling. And the Pokémon. I digress. I can't wait to get out more chapters, and Red will** _ **definitely**_ **be catching more Pokémon, and training them. I mean, in the series Ash leaves behind** _ **so**_ **many potential partners. I mean** _ **so**_ **many. And he is almost never really seen training. It's mostly only seen in preparation for a rematch. Honestly I don't know about you guys, but I don't really mind filler episodes. Unless they're DBZ Frieza Arc filler episodes, cause those were just annoying.** _ **But**_ **, my point there is that I will have just some filler chapters later for training and just some general stuff you would do while traveling. Like, Red getting lost and fully exploring a city? I'm gonna do that. At some point. I would really have fun just writing a chapter that isn't about the action and is just about the character and how they think, and feel. Sorry, probably sounding boring to most of you. Anyways (I say that a lot, don't I) please don't forget to leave a review! It really means a lot when people let me know what they like, or dislike about the chapter, and whether or not they liked it overall. So, yeah! Review please, and I'll see you next chapter! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm really sorry. This took me way too long. I've been so busy with school and other stuff that this ended up taking a backseat, and I really hate that I did that. Even though I know how hard it can be to write a story, or even just a chapter from short stories for school, I always hated how long some authors put between updates. I mean, I know they have a life, but when the stories good I want more, and now I'm one of those authors who almost doesn't seem to exist. I'm really sorry about that, I'm gonna try to be better about updating now that I'm starting to fall into a better pattern with my classes. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

" _Go faster."_

"Pika, if I go any faster I could hurt the girl worse. Normal people are injured a lot easier you know."

" _But she and her starmie are injured, she could get permanent damage from you moving to slow."_

"Pika if you don't plan on being helpful then go scout how far it is to the city," Red muttered.

" _Don't need to. You can smell the stench in the air. Reeks of sweat, blood, a bunch of stuff I'd rather not try to figure out, and broken dreams."_

"You can _smell_ broken dreams?" Red asked suspiciously.

" _No. But would it really have surprised you that much?"_

* * *

"Attention!" A voice called out, amplified by a speaker system. "Good citizens of Viridian City, it is now 6 o'clock. Reminder that curfew has been raised from 10 to 8. A new development is seeing a decrease in street crime, and a rise in the living standards of East Viridian. That will be all, please continue in your efforts to make this city a better place." The line then clicked out, signifying that the announcements were over.

"Wonder why curfew got raised?"

" _Does that really matter right now?"_

"Well not really but-"

"Attention! We have just received reports of Pokémon thieves in the area. Please report any suspicious behavior to your nearest police station!"

"How unusual, thieves in Viridian," Red's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Halt!"

Red paused, turning slightly around as he realized the voice was shouting at him. The person who had shouted had blue hair and a captains uniform on, it was one of the many Officer Jenny's. Every town had a Jenny and a Joy at each main center and station. The rest were staffed by any number of nurses and officers, but they never included another Jenny or Joy. Red still didn't have the slightest clue how there were so many of them, or why they all shared the same name.

"Just what do you think you're- Red?"

"Hello. I found this girl injured on Route 1, do you mind taking her to somewhere she can be healed Jenny?"

"Red, it's been so long since you were last in Viridian. Did you decided to be a trainer? Oh, that's not important right now, I'll get the girl to the main center, Joy can treat her there. However, I can't avoid protocol. She's passed out, but you have to show ID, sorry Red." Jenny looked a bit sheepish, but still looked quite happy. Though Red had been a troublemaker, she had always gotten along well with the boy. She knew that he didn't always run off to cause problems, it was just cause he didn't like being cooped up. It seemed to her that now he wouldn't have to worry about that.

"Of course. Pika, mind getting my Pokédex out of my pocket?"

" _Course not!"_ Pika shouted as he leapt up and pulled the encyclopedia out of his jacket.

"Here you go Jenny," He said as she took the item from Pika. She pulled open his ID page, and after it trilled of his data, handed it back.

"Alright, we're all good to go. I'll grab my bike and she can ride in the side car. I'm afraid it can only fit one, so you'll have to walk, or wait for me to give you a ride."

"I can wait. And here, this is her starmie, it got pretty badly beat up by a spearow flock out there. It was the flock that let us find them. I believe that's why she's so injured as well." Red finished informing Jenny as she got ready to take off. She took the Pokéball, clipping it to her belt for safe keeping.

"Thanks. I'll have to get the League to send a someone out to get rid of them. Stay safe Red!" She shouted before tearing away in her bike.

" _She was odd."_

"Pika!"

* * *

Above Red, two trainers and meowth stood in a meowth shaped hot air balloon. As soon as the boy began to walk away, they lowered a fishing line, removing a wanted poster that stood in front of the outpost that Red had been speaking to Jenny at.

"Look at this, our wanted pictures," The redhead trilled.

"What crude photo, you can't even see much of my face," The bluenette drolled.

"I guess then that these country fools just don't know real beauty."

Before they could continue much further, the meowth cut them off. "That's great and all, but we have a job to get some rare Pokémon! You want to show off your faces, then do it then!"

The two glared, but nodded and began redirecting the balloon.

* * *

Red and Pika arrived at the center as the last of the daylight finally faded away.

" _Huh. So this is what a Pokémon Center looks like."_

"This one is different from most. Most don't have that… Round eye like thing. Did Jenny drive right into the center?"

" _I would think so, there are skid marks right up to the desk."_

"Ah! You must be Red! Jenny told me you'd be stopping by. I have a room set up for you to stay the night. Thanks you for getting her and her Pokémon here so quickly, they could have been hurt a lot worse if it weren't for you."

"Oh, uh, it was no problem Nurse Joy. And uh, thanks, for the uh, room." Red muttered.

" _So much for skipping through Viridian."_ Pika grumbled in Red's ear, having returned to his usual spot there after they had left the station.

"Uh, so how is the girl doing?"

"A heck of alot better. I suppose that you're the one I have to thank for that?" A voice sounded from across the room. It was the redheaded girl that he had carried to the city's outskirts, and he was glad to see she wasn't hurt to badly.

Red nodded in answer to her question.

She smiled, a light blush on her cheeks. "Thanks, starmie and I would have been goners if it weren't for you."

"Pika here did all the work." He replied.

" _Ask her how that starmie is doing."_

"Um, how's starmie doing," Red asked.

She walked over, a frown had flickered onto her face, but was replaced just as quickly with another smile.

"Great, it'll be all better by morning."

"That's good."

"Alright, you two can talk more in the morning, I need to go check on the Pokémon, and you young lady need to rest." Nurse Joy left no room for discussion. "Here are your room keys, you're on the first floor, while you are on the second."

Red was handed the key to the second floor, and then watched as the girl was herded off to rest by Nurse Joy. The two shot off a goodbye before disappearing down the corridors.

" _We should call home."_ Pika stated.

"Agreed." Red turned and walked over to a line of video phones upon the wall, and dialed his home number. He waited for a minute before the screen flickered, and showed him the living room of his home, his mother shown to be the one to pick up.

"Red! You should have called earlier! I was worried if you had even made it yet!" Lorelei shouted.

"Sorry mom, but I only just got to Viridian."

"You did? I would have thought you'd have gotten there a lot sooner."

"Well he would have if someone hadn't held him up till it was past noon," A voice croaked. An old woman, with graying hair and a smiling, wrinkling face appeared on screen. "Glad to see you got there safely Red."

"Looks like you made it just fine kido, and not a scratch on you or Pika."

"Did you really think that there would be Bruno?" Red asked with a smirk.

"Haha, well put kido."

"Red, where do you plan on heading to next?" This time it was Lance who was asking the question.

"Hmm. Probably Pewter City. I know that Pika wants to battle, but if I'm going to find trainers to battle with him, then I'll probably have to take the Gym Challenge, huh." Red mused.

"That would be the best bet. But don't forget that even though Pika is strong, catching more Pokémon to share in your journey will be a good idea." Lance informed him.

"Right, thanks papa. I'd better be going now, I just thought it good to check in."

"Alright Red take care." The four Elite Trainers said their goodbyes, each reminding Red to take care of himself and his team, before he signed off.

" _I'm not really sleepy, you?"_

"No." Red paused and surveyed the room. A photo above the row of computers caught his eye. "Hey Pika, doesn't that photo look familiar?"

The picture was divided into four sections, the first one was red with a bird, and the one under it also held a bird, but was green instead. Next to the yellow one, in the bottom right corner was a yellow one, with a dog-like creature. That was the only one of the four that seemed familiar to Red, reminding him of an arcanine. The final one, in the top right, was blue, with a Pokémon similar to the one he had seen earlier. Red pulled out the photo on his Pokédex to compare. As he did so, the computer behind him began to ring.

"Hm?" Red clicked accept. "Hello?"

"Turn around Red."

Red did as told, recognizing the voice as the Professors. The photo of the yellow dog-like Pokémon disappeared, and a screen replaced it. It flickered to life, with the camera pointed at the back of the Professor's head. "Professor, wrong camera."

"Hm. Ack! Hang on!" The Professor scrambled about for a moment, before flipping to the proper camera, allowing Red to speak to the Professor's face, and not his back. "So, I see you made it to Viridian. I knew that you wouldn't spend to long on the trail. So, have you caught any new Pokémon?"

"Professor, you would know if I did. They may go to my family instead of your ranch, but I'm still registered so that you can see my trainer info." Red sighed, the Professor could be so odd sometimes.

"Oh, of course. Uh, well, it is late, so, you should probably get some rest and then set out in the morning." The Professor attempted to change the subject with a nervous chuckle.

"Alright." Red decide to let him slide this time. "Oh, a few more things Professor. First, how do I sign up for the League?"

"The League?! You mean then, that you wish to challenge the Gyms?!" The Professor shouted.

"Please don't shout at me." Red squeaked, pulling back from the screen.

"Of course, I'm sorry Red, you just caught me off guard is all." The Professor looked guilty, having upset the poor boy. He knew that Red couldn't handle being yelled at, and there he went forgetting.

"It's okay Professor, I know that you didn't mean to. But, uh, how _do_ I get signed up?" Red murmured back.

"Well, seeing as you're in the Viridian Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy can sign you up in the morning before you leave. Any center can sign you up for it if you ask, you just have to have your Pokédex on you, so no leaving it in your room or something." The Professor gave him a pointed look. Red had a bad habit of leaving items lying around. He simply didn't always understand the importance behind them.

"Okay, thanks Professor. And the final thing. I was just wondering…" Red paused, pulling the Pokédex out and switching to its camera mode. The picture wasn't the best, and was in fact little more than a bird shaped blob, but the colors still stood out, so he hopped the Professor could tell him what it was.

"You see," Red said, turning the Pokédex towards the screen, "I saw this Pokémon after the storm on Route 1, but the Pokédex said that I need the Johto version or the National Version to get info on it. So, what is it, and actually, why the restrictions on the Pokédex?"

Red waited for the Professor to answer, but was instead met with a dropped jaw. "Wha- wh- Red!"

"Ah! Wha-what Professor?" Did he do something wrong? He had just reminded the Professor that shouting startled him, and there he went again.

"S-sorry. It's just that, that's a Ho-oh. It's a Legendary Pokémon native to Johto. One of those hasn't been spotted by a traveller in almost a hundred years! Now avid seekers have gotten a bit luckier, but even then, this is the clearest picture in a long while! You have some luck my boy!"

"Really? I didn't know it was that big a deal." Red looked thoughtful, glancing over at Pika, as if the mouse knew the answer to his unasked question. Instead it seemed the Professor did.

"Red you are not allowed to hunt down Legendaries to test Pika's strength against them. Anyways, onto the second part of your question." The Professor was still flustered, but was also now slightly exasperated by the boy's antics. "The reasoning is that most non-native Pokémon don't end up in other regions. The Pokédex is filled with all Kanto native Pokémon, including those that are from other regions, but have migratory patterns that take them through Kanto. However, as most aren't going to be found, a lot of data is left off so that there is room for the collected data. The more data it can hold, the more costly the Pokédex is. However that's not to say you still can't access the data. If you have the name, than you can access the search feature, and the Pokédex will search through all connected data banks, such as mine, or the other regional Professor's, and pull up some basic information. Mostly, you'll receive a basic description and a typing. If you were to use it instead on say, a tentacool, you would also be able to access movesets, abilities, signs that would signify closeness to evolution, as well as even dietary plans if you put some of your Pokémons habits into it. That being said, if you catch a Pokémon not in your Pokédex, you can still receive that information. Does that make sense?"

"Not completely, but I think that's just cause I haven't really been able to try that feature out. I'm sure that any other questions that might pop-up I can figure out now." Red looked confident, though Pika was attempting to hide a snicker.

"Alright. Well good luck Red, I'm afraid that I'll have to be going now. If I don't head off to eat now, I may forget to eat until the next time you call!" the Professor began laughing at his own joke, but grew serious at Red's stern expression. "Don't worry, I won't be _that_ careless. And besides, Daisy is here training to be a researcher, she won't let me run myself ragged."

"Alright, take care Professor."

"You too Red. You watch out for him now Pika. Make sure he doesn't forget to use that Energy Dispeller. I really need a better name for that," The professor trailed off.

" _Yeah, that name sucks. And do you even need to ask, of course I'll keep Red safe. The idiot tries anything and he deals with me!"_ Pika puffed his chest out, and struck one paw against his chest.

"Bye Professor."

"Bye boys, take care of each other now!" With that, the Professor logged off, leaving the room eerily quiet.

" _Bedtime now!"_ Pika trilled happily. " _Talking to the old man always makes me tired!"_

"Pika be polite." Red attempted to berate the Pikachu. Red turned, heading towards the staircase tucked into the corner of the center, when a loud alarm began echoing throughout the center.

" _Hmm?"_

"Attention! Attention!Something has invaded the skies of Viridian City! There is a large chance that this is the Pokémon abductors! Please exercise extreme caution!" The alert began to replay after that, repeating the same alert over and over.

"Thieves, eh? Think they might target the center?" Red asked.

" _Doubtful. This place is full of nothing but the sick and injured, although there is a small margin that they'll take that as a way to pick off Pokémon_ _easily."_ Pika's face wrinkled in disgust. He hated honorless cowards as much as Red did.

Red didn't get the chance to reply, as two Pokéballs came crashing down through the roof of the center.

In a flash of light, an ekans and koffing stood, or floated in koffing's case, in front of him. The koffing quickly took action, filling the room with its noxious gas.

Nurse Joy came running down a different hallway then before, this one having led to critical condition Pokémon.

"What's going on here!" She shouted, beginning to cough as she breathed in the fumes.

"Nurse Joy, please step back and let Pika and I handle this." Red shouted across the room to her.

The nurse looked at him, debating briefly, before stepping back. "Alright, I'll try to keep the Pokémon stabilized, just handle this quickly then." With that she turned, rushing back down the hall to prevent any critical condition Pokémon from meeting their end.

"Oh please, you think you can defeat us," A female voice chimed through the smoke.

"Prepare for trouble," The same voice sung.

"And make it double," A male voice trilled out.

"To protect the world from devastation," The girl sung again.

"To unite all peoples within our nation," This time it was the male again, and Red realized at this point that they were taking turns.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

The smoke cleared exposing two people, they appeared to be young adults, Red would guess barely 18. The girl had red hair, the boy blue.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

A sudden flash of cream fur came leaping out, landing in front of them.

"Meowth! That's right!"

Red and Pika froze. Nothing about the group was particularly intimidating, in fact they were quite laughable, however, it was the meowth that made him freeze up. The fact that it could talk told him all he needed to know. There was only one meowth in all of Team Rocket that could speak, and if the fact that Team Rocket was here made their blood boil, than the scratch-cat Pokémon made it freeze. This Pokémon had been a caretaker of his once, and if he recognized him, Red had no doubt that he would be back in Team Rocket custody in a matter of hours.

' _Red.'_ Pika's voice sounded in his head. One good thing that came from being genetically modified, was that he and Pika could communicate through telepathy, preventing others from realizing how frightened he often was. ' _Red, we have to deal with them quickly, Meowth can't have the chance to recognize us.'_

' _Right.'_ He replied.

"Pika! Get in close to that koffing and use thundershock!" Red shouted. He hopped that Pika wouldn't hurt them too bad.

Thankfully, Pika was quite good at controlling his attacks, and the thundershock sent the koffing flying into its teammate, knocking them both into their trainers. They attempted to get away, but Pika hadn't let up on the attack yet, causing the panicking koffing to expel gas, which quickly ignited.

"Impossible!" Jessie's voice shouted as they were launched out of the smoking building.

"How could we lose so fast!" James screeched.

"Good job Pika! Served them right!" Red cheered, swinging Pika around in his arms. "But, we uh, kinda destroyed the front of the center."

"Relax, everyone is safe now. The building can be replaced, lives can't. Thank you Red," Nurse Joy said, stepping out of the critical condition room and into the lobby.

"Thanks, but, Pika did all the work." Red and Pika smiled at each other, before both yawned.

Nurse Joy smiled. "Go get some sleep. I'll talk with Jenny, and we can get info on the battle and what they looked like in the morning. Thankfully only the front doors are gone, so you still have a room."

"Thanks Nurse Joy." Red was attempting, unsuccessfully, to fight off another yawn. He turned back to the stairs, and with a half-asleep Pikachu in his arms, made his way to his room, hoping to sleep away the day's excitement.

* * *

 **Oh man, feels soooooo good to write again. I am so sorry that it has taken me, like, a month to get this out, but most days I have absolutely zero motivation to do anything. I don't even want to do my homework, and I need to get that stuff done. But I also can't keep putting this off when I absolutely** _ **love**_ **writing this story and putting it out here for you guys to read. Anyways, I'll try to be a bit more consistent in my updates from now on, but I may have some complications, as my stupid school gave us Chromebooks to use in class, and they have blocked no matter where I go. I mean seriously! I can go on Wattpad at home, and as far as I remember I can get on archive, but not fanfic, what the heck! So I can only update when I have my laptop, and my laptop is old and slow, making it a juggling between typing on one, and then getting the time to update on the other. Sorry, I probably seem really complainy there, so, uh, anyway, until next time .**


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